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PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

Rufus  H.   LeFevre 

.4.  M42. 


r  (i)  I 


Bishop  William  uttki 


Bishop  Maktin  Boehi 


ADDRESSES 

delivered  at  the  Centennial  Celebration 

of  the  Founding  of  the 

Church  of  the 

United  Brethren  in  Christ 

Edited  by  G.  M.   MATHEWS,  D.D. 


U.  B.  Publishing  House,  Dayton,  O 

IQOI 


Copyright,  1901 

By  the  U.  B.  Publishing  House 

All  rights  reserved 


Ttx  tlTB  ^^mcrg  xif 

?'lTtIip  William  ©tt^trtoin 
and 

First  ^islTops  xxf  tlr^  ©ImrrlT  of  IItb 

^nit:eil  ^r^tlrr^ti  in  Qvlrrist,  anil  tlrcir  (Ifl-lab0«rs 

tttlTO,  in  litxmt  faitlr  and  s^If -sacrificing  IoM:e 

laid  tlT;e  foundations  of  onr  looed  i^inn 

This  ttoIttttiK  is  grstBf  nllg  tlsilicat^ri 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Introduction vii 

PART  I. 
The  Making  of  Our  Denomination. 

Otterbei  n  and  His  Colaborers.    Prof.  A.  VV.  Drury,  D.D 9 

Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

Bishop  J.  S.  Mills,  D.D.,  LL.D 18 

Historic  Places  and  Epochs.    Rev.  C.  I.  B,  Brane,  A.M 37 

PART  II. 
Church  Evangelism  and  Extension. 

The  Heroism  of  Our  Fathers.    Bishop  J.  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  LL.D 49 

The  Church  an  Agency  for  the  Spiritual  Regeneration  of  Man.    Rev. 

R.  J.  White,  A.M 59 

The  Concentration  of  Our  Church  Forces.    Rev.  W.  M.  Weekley (57 

The  Next  Step  in  Sunday-School  Progress.     H.  A.  Thompson,  D.D., 

LL.D 74 

PART  III. 
The  Church  and  Education. 

The  History  and  Development  of  Education  in  Our  Church.    Bishop 

E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  LL.D 8.5 

The  Imperative  Need  of  a  Cultured  Ministj-y.  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D.  93 
The  Mission  of  the  Denominational  College.  Rev.  T.  J.  Sanders,  Ph.D.  101 
The  Future  of  Our  Colleges.    L.  Bookwalter,  D.D 112 

PART  IV. 
The  Nineteenth  Century  as  a  Preparation 
FOR  THE  Twentieth. 
The  Relation  of  Our  Publishing  Interests  to  the  Life  and  Growth  of 

Our  Denomination.    W.  R.  Funk,  D.D 121 

The  Outlook  for  Missions  After  a  Century.    William  M.  Bell,  D.D 127 

The  Adaptation  and  Equipment  of  the  Church  of  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury.   I.  L.  Kephart,  D.D 139 

PART  V. 

Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church, 

Baltimore,  Md.,  May  4,  1901. 

Opening  Address.    Bishop  N.  Castle,  D.D 147 

Address  of  Welcome.    Rev.  A.  Schmidt 152 

Centenary  Poem.    Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller 156 

The  Power  and  Influence  of  a  Single  Life.    W.  J.  Shuey,  D.D 160 

Points  to  be  Emphasized  by  the  Children  of  Otterbein.    Rev.  H.  S. 

Gabel 166 

Our  Young  People  in  the  New  Century.    Prof.  J.  P.  Landis,  D.D 171 

At  the  Tomb  of  Otterbein.    G.  M.  Mathews,  D.D 179 

PART  VI. 

Bishops'  Quadrennial  Address 183 

v 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  "We  are  Brethren."    Frontispiece, 

2.  Bishop  William  Otterbein. 

3.  Bishop  Martin  Boehm. 

4.  Isaac  Long's  Barn. 

5.  The  Deaner  Home. 

6.  Rev.  John  Hershey's  Home. 

7.  Bishop  John  Russell's  House. 

8.  Bishop  John  Russell's  Barn. 

9.  Benjamin  Neidig's  Home. 

10.  George  Adam  Guething's  Home. 

11.  Rocky  Spring  Schoolhouse. 

12.  Otterbein  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

13.  Scene  at  the  Opening  of  the  Centennial  Jubilee  Services. 

14.  The  Parsonage  of  Otterbein  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

15.  Consecration  Services  at  the  Tomb  of  Otterbein. 

16.  Close  of  the  Consecration  Services. 

17.  The  Bishops  at  the  Tomb  of  Otterbein. 

18.  Pilgrims  at  the  Tomb  of  Otterbein. 

19.  The  Pilgrimage  to  the  Peter  Kemp  Home. 

20.  A  Group  of  Pilgrims  at  the  Kemp  Home. 

21.  Peter  Kemp's  Home,  Where  the  First  Conference  Was  Held. 

22.  Room  in  the  Kemp  Home,  Where  Otterbein  Was  Elected  Bishop. 

23.  Preparing  to  Leave  the  Kemp  Home. 

24.  Homeward  Bound. 

25.  The  Old  Cemetery  at  the  Kemp  Home. 

26.  The  Barn  at  the  Peter  Kemp  Home. 

27.  Rocky  Spring,  on  the  Kemp  Farm. 

28.  The  General  Conference  in  Session  at  Frederick,  Maryland. 

29.  A  View  from  the  Center  of  the  Stage. 

30.  A  View  Looking  to  the  Right. 

31.  A  View  Looking  toward  the  Left. 

32.  Delegates  and  Visitors  after  the  Afternoon  Session. 

33.  The  Monument  to  Francis  Scott  Key. 

34.  Barbara  Frietchie. 

35.  Barbara  Frietchie's  Flag. 

36.  The  Grave  of  Barbara  Frietchie. 

37.  The  Street  Down  Which  General  Jackson  Led  His  Army. 

38.  The  Reformed  Church,  Frederick,  Maryland. 


rf  M   ^  y 


INTRODUCTION, 


The  centennial  feature  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  which  convened  in  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, May,  1901,  proved  to  be  of  such  importance,  and  awak- 
ened such  interest,  as  to  demand  the  publication  of  the  ad- 
dresses delivered  on  that  occasion,  so  that  they  might  be  pre- 
served in  permanent  form,  and  thus  be  put  into  the  hands  of 
the  entire  membership  of  the  Church  for  their  instruction  and 
inspiration. 

The  history  of  the  celebration  of  our  Church  centenary 
clearly  indicates  the  value  of  such  observance  to  the  life  and 
spirit  of  the  denomination.  If  we  do  not  cherish  the  memory 
of  the  pioneer  fathers  and  pay  high  tribute  of  honor  to  their 
character,  toils,  hardships,  and  achievements  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  our  Zion,  how  can  we  expect  to  perpetuate  the 
distinctive  principles  and  spirit  with  which  our  denomina- 
tional life  began.  The  forces  of  aggressive  evangelism  and 
the  fires  of  piety  and  missionary  zeal  which  characterized 
the  origin  of  our  Church  will  best  be  kept  burning  upon  the 
altar  of  our  own  hearts  by  occasionally  meeting  on  historic 
ground,  made  sacred  by  the  memory  of  the  faith,  heroism, 
tears,  and  sacrifices  of  our  fathers  in  holding  spiritual  com- 
munion with  their  God  and  our  God. 

We  do  not  believe  in  hero-worship,  nor  do  we  desire  to  bow 
in  reverence  at  any  earthly  shrine;  but  a  worthy,  grateful 
remembrance  of  the  past  will  give  us  a  higher  appreciation  of 
the  present  and  a  more  vigorous  inspiration  for  the  work  of 
the  future.  As  inheritors  of  the  achievements  of  our  fathers, 
we  should  take  advantage  of  all  that  is  worthy  in  the  past  to 
perpetuate  and  increase  our  inheritance  by  preserving,  en- 
larging, and  intensifying  our  denominational  life. 

vii 


viji  Introduction 

This  purpose  and  thought  led  the  General  Conference  of 
1897,  at  Toledo,  Iowa,  to  take  official  action  authorizing  a 
centennial  celebration,  fixing  the  period  of  it  beginning  Sep- 
tember 25,  1900,  and  closing  with  the  General  Conference  in 
May,  1901.  Accordingly  a  standing  committee  was  appointed 
to  make  all  the  arrangements  for  this  centenary.  A  special 
committee  was  also  selected  by  this  general  committee  to 
prepare  a  detailed  program  of  themes  and  speakers  for  the 
centennial  celebration,  to  be  observed  in  connection  with  the 
General  Conference  at  Frederick,  Maryland,  in  May,  1901. 
This  program  contained  a  variety  of  themes  covering  the  en- 
tire field  of  our  Church  origin,  history,  characteristic 
features,  growth,  needs,  activities,  and  future  outlook.  Some 
of  the  ablest  representative  men  and  women  of  the  denomina- 
tion, of  wide  experience  in  their  respective  departments  of 
church  work,  discussed  questions  of  ecclesiastical  and  evan- 
gelistic importance  in  a  manner,  it  is  thought,  that  assisted 
the  General  Conference,  then  in  session  in  the  enactment  of 
wholesome  laws  and  measures  which  shall  strengthen  every 
arm  of  the  Church  and  advance  the  cause  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  centennial  services  proper,  consumed  parts  of  five  con- 
secutive days  from  the  opening  exercise,  and  were  in  every 
particular  worthy  of  the  denomination  under  whose  auspices 
they  were  held  and  the  historic  events  they  celebrated.  The 
themes  treated  are  all  intensely  practical,  and  are  presented 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  interest  and  instruct  the  reader,  as 
well  as  to  enrich  the  life  of  our  denomination.  The  book,  it 
is  believed,  will  prove  a  real  blessing  to  the  homes  of  our 
I)eople  throughout  our  Zion.  G.  M.  Mathews. 

Dayton,  Ohio. 


PART  1. 


THE  MAKING  OF  OUR  DENOMINATION. 


OTTERBEIN  AND  HIS  COLABOEERS. 

Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  D.  D. 

The  results  of  men's  labors  and  their  consequent  title  to  honor 
depend  largely  on  the  consciousness  with  which  they  perform 
their  part.  Says  Guizot:  "Whenever  the  event  has  been 
greater  than  the  design,  whenever  there  is  an  appearance  of 
ignorance  of  the  first  principles  and  results  of  an  action,  there 
has  always  remained  a  degree  of  incompleteness,  inconsis- 
tency, and  narrowness  of  view  which  has  placed  the  victors  in 
a  state  of  rational  and  philosophical  inferiority,  the  influence 
of  which  has  sometimes  been  apparent  in  the  course  of  events.'^ 
Did  the  fathers  of  our  Church  recognize  the  nature  and  results 
of  their  work?  Did  they  see  this  day  and  yet  better  days  to 
come?  Let  us  at  this  time  look  back  to  them  largely  from 
this  point  of  view. 

OTTERBEIN. 

"The  Lord  has  been  pleased  graciously  to  satisfy  me  fully 
that  the  work  will  abide."  No  other  words  of  Otterbein  have 
greater  significance  to  us  at  this  hour  than  these.  At  the  time 
when  they  were  spoken,  sixty  years  of  toil  in  America  had 
passed.  That,  indeed,  the  labor  of  Otterbein  and  his  asso- 
ciates was  not  to  be  in  vain,  the  accumulated  results  of  now 
ninety  years  succeeding  the  utterance  of  these  confident  words 
abundantly  testify.  The  labors  were  begun  with  a  sublime  un- 
consciousness of  the  part  that  was  to  be  performed,  but  they 


10  A  Century 

were  not  permitted  to  continue  long  without  a  conscious  partic- 
ipation in  a  divine  plan,  or  to  come  to  a  close  without  the 
satisfying  prevision  of  abiding  fruits. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  repeat  much  of  what  all  who  are  here 
assuredly  know,  or  of  what  I  attempted,  with  whatever  suc- 
cess, to  set  forth  in  another  form  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  Let 
it  suffice  with  reference  to  Otterbein  and  his  chief  colaborers, 
first,  to  indicate  something  of  their  early  struggles  under  provi- 
dential leading,  with  only  the  firm  conviction  that  they  stood 
with  God,  and  then  to  show  their  conscious  share  in  the  divine 
plan,  whether  in  contributing  to  its  advancement  or  in  joyful 
anticipation  of  abiding  results. 

How  the  past  embraced  or  contained  within  itself  the  future, 
may  be  seen  through  a  few  events.  The  home  life  and  the  posi- 
tion in  church  and  school  of  the  Otterbein  family  were  a  prepa- 
ration and  prophecy  of  no  ordinary  or  uncertain  kind.  One  who 
received  influence  from  Melanchthon,  Olevianus,  Vitringa,  and 
Spener  could  not  put  dogma  before  life,  or  polity  before  serv- 
ice. Teachers  such  as  Schramm,  Arnold,  and  Eau  could  not 
but  foster  a  spirit  which  should  embrace  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth.  It  was  no  ordinary  mother  who  could  say,  "My 
William  will  have  to  be  a  missionary,  he  is  so  frank,  so  open, 
so  natural,  so  prophet-like";  and  again,  "Go;  the  Lord  bless 
thee  and  keep  thee.  The  Lord  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon 
thee  and  with  much  grace  direct  thy  steps.  On  earth  I  may 
not  see  thy  face  again — but  go." 

Thus  equipped  and  sent  forth,  Philip  William  Otterbein  en- 
tered upon  his  long  and  laborious  work  as  a  minister  and  evan- 
gelist among  the  Germans  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and 
Virginia.  The  Germans,  largely  from  Switzerland  and  the 
Palatinate,  were  to  have  a  place  scarcely  second  to  that  of  the 
preponderating  English  population  in  the  civil  and  religious 
history  of  the  United  States.  The  Christian  missionary  among 
them,  therefore,  was  a  builder  of  destiny. 

The  marked  spiritual  experience  of  Otterbein  while  at  Lan- 
caster,— you  may  call  it  conversion  if  you  have  reference  to  the 
bringing  in  of  all  the  elements  of  a   full  evangelical  expe- 


Otterbeia  and  His  Colaborers  11 

rience, — fitted  him  for  the  John-the-Baptist  work  and  the  truly 
apostolic  labors  that  awaited  him.  His  introduction  of  social 
meetings  while  at  Tulpehocken,  his  wider  evangelism  while  at 
Frederick,  his  cooperation  with  Mennonites  and  other  denomi- 
nations while  at  York,  represented  successive  advances  and 
new  elements  of  preparation.  His  going  to  Baltimore  and  taking 
charge  of  an  independent  congregation  gave  to  him  full  free- 
dom in  dealing  with  his  own  congregation,  and  in  carrying  out 
systematically  his  work  as  an  evangelist  among  the  Germans. 
Said  Otterbein:  "It  is  true,  brethren,  the  German  work  is  a 
hard  work;  yet  faint  not  and  in  due  season  you  shall  reap.  The 
Lord  has  greatly  blessed  our  labors  and  stood  by  us."  Twenty- 
five  years  pass  in  which  Otterbein,  besides  ministering  to  his 
own  congregation,  preaches  widely  as  an  evangelist,  forms 
societies,  establishes  Sunday  schools,  calls  to  his  assistance 
preachers,  over  all  of  which  work  he  is  the  recognized  superin- 
tendent. 

Then  comes  the  memorable  conference  of  1800,  whose  one 
hundredth  anniversary  we  now  celebrate.  Otterbein's  congre- 
gation had  been  independent  from  the  beginning;  henceforth 
his  independence  of  the  German  Reformed  Church  as  a  minis- 
ter, and  his  commitment  to  the  new  community  of  like-minded 
believers  as  a  distinct  part  of  the  church  of  Christ  are  clearly 
manifest.  He  had  hoped  to  see  all  his  desires  accomplished 
through  an  association  of  ministers  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  then  through  special  societies  of  his  converts  with 
provision  of  ministerial  service  for  the  time;  but  already  for 
more  than  ten  years  preceding  the  year  1800  church  character 
had  been  developing,  and  now  it  was  considerately  and  finally 
adopted. 

That  Otterbein  not  only  had  a  providential  part  assigned 
him,  but  that  as  time  passed  he  was  led  consciously  to  recognize 
its  nature  and  future  significance,  is  sufficiently  evident  and 
assuring  to  all  who  give  the  subject  thought.  In  1785  the  rules 
of  Otterbein's  congregation  declared,  "No  preacher  can  stay 
among  us  who  will  not  to  the  best  of  his  ability  care  for  the 
various   societies   in   Pennsylvania,   Maryland,   and  Virginia, 


12  A  Century 

which  societies,  under  the  superintendence  of  William  Otter- 
bein,  stand  in  fraternal  unity  with  us."  In  1800  he  permitted 
himself  formally  to  be  chosen  Bishop,  and  in  1813  he  formally 
conferred  ordination  on  those  of  the  ministers  raised  up  by 
him,  and  just  before  his  death,  the  same  year,  declared  his  vis- 
ion of  abiding  results. 

Thus  lived  and  wrought  Otterbein,  the  apostle  to  the  Ger- 
inans,  in  the  formative  period  of  both  church  and  state  in  our 
country.  His  great  modesty  only  heightens  the  honor  that 
men,  yea,  God,  would  bestow.  One  who  could  serve  in  charity 
work  on  a  committee  with  the  Koman  Catholic  Carroll,  after- 
ward archbishop,  who  could  assist  in  the  consecration  to  the 
episcopal  office  of  Asbury,  who  had  distinguished  friends  in 
the  ministry  of  the  Lutheran  and  Episcopal  churches,  and 
whose  refraining  from  censoriousness  and  whose  continued 
cordiality  cause  him  yet  to  be  prized  and  even  claimed  by  the 
Keformed  Church,  cannot  be  the  exclusive  possession  of  any 
one  body  of  Christians.  Yet  his  peculiar  value  to  the  Church 
of  which  he  is  the  recognized  founder  is  evident  in  various 
ways.  His  scholarship  forestalls  captious  criticism  of  human 
culture  and  furnishes  a  ready  argument  for  education.  His 
soundness  of  doctrine  and  healthful  ethical  spirit  allow  no 
place  to  license  or  fanaticism.  His  care  for  the  distressed  and 
his  attention  to  children  and  the  home  anticipated  what  is 
most  prominent  and  hopeful  in  the  thought  and  effort  of  our 
times.  His  absorbing  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  undying  souls, 
and  his  faithfulness  to  his  divine  Master  are  still  a  pillar  of  fire 
for  the  guidance  of  his  spiritual  children. 

BOEHM. 

Martin  Boehm,  the  cofounder  with  Otterbein  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  in  like  manner  as  was  Otterbein,  was  called 
to  a  prophet's  task  and  given  a  prophet's  vision.  When  he 
stepped  forward  to  draw  the  lot  which  destined  him  for  the 
ministry,  he  said  within  himself,  "Lord,  not  me";  but  a  few 
years  later,  after  his  entrance  into  a  new  spiritual  experience, 
he  had,  as  he  loved  to  express  it  in  the  closing  days  of  his  life. 


Otterbein  and  His  Colaborers  13 

*'an  impression  or  a  presentiment  that  God  would  visit  his  peo- 
ple and  grant  them  repentance  unto  life."  In  addition  to  the 
moral  virtues  characteri'^ing  the  Mennonite  people  of  his  day, 
he  attained  unto  a  glowing  evangelical  experience,  and  was 
constrained  to  publish  abroad  in  all  of  the  German  communi- 
ties the  truth  that  came  with  such  authority  and  hallowed  in- 
fluence to  himself. 

Otterbein  represented  an  honored  church  of  the  Reforma- 
tion; Boehm  represented  a  persecuted  sect  whose  noblest  re- 
venge was  the  thought  of  its  own  superior  sanctity.  After  a  half 
score  of  years  devoted  largely  to  evangelistic  work  and  the  win- 
ning of  many  converts,  the  educated  Reformed  pastor  and  the 
zealous  Mennonite  preacher  are  brought  together.  What  need 
here  of  a  description  of  the  meeting  at  Isaac  Long's?  What 
need  of  dwelling  on  the  memorable  words  of  Otterbein,  "We 
are  brethren"  ?  The  Church  itself  is  a  monument  to  this  meet- 
ing and  to  these  words.  During  the  more  than  forty  years  fol- 
lowing this  coming  together  till  these  two  fathers  were  called 
to  their  reward,  Boehm  supplied  well  his  part  in  promoting 
what,  from  the  time  of  the  Isaac  Long  meeting,  was  a  distinct- 
ly marked  and  advancing  revival  movement,  due  account  to 
be  taken,  however,  of  the  interruption  caused  by  the  war  of  the 
Revolution. 

He  was  elected  Bishop  in  1800,  and  was  present  until  his 
death,  in  1812,  at  every  conference  session  except  those  of 
1806,  1808,  1810,  and  1811.  His  nominal  connection  with  the 
local  Methodist  class  in  1802,  and  his  warm-hearted  associa- 
tion with  the  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  through  a  term  of 
years,  do  not  disturb  the  fact  of  his  continuing  to  be,  down  to 
his  death,  a  faithful  representative  and  trusted  leader  of  the 
newly  constituted  United  Brethren  Church.  A  significant 
feature  of  the  work  of  Martin  Boehm  is  that  he  represented 
the  Mennonite  society  and  other  sects  as  well,  which  at  the 
first  and  increasingly  with  the  lapse  of  years  furnished  so 
large  a  proportion  of  the  membership  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  Bishop  Asbury  preached  his  funeral  sermon  from 
the  text,  "Behold  an  Israelite  indeed  in  whom  there  is  no 


14  A  Century 

guile."  In  the  course  of  his  noble  eulogy  he  said,  "His  mind 
was  strong  and  well  stored  with  the  learning  necessary  for  one 
whose  aim  is  to  preach  Christ  with  apostolic  zeal  and  sim- 
plicity." 

GEETING. 

At  this  moment  and  at  this  place  the  name  of  George  A. 
Geeting  has  a  special  significance.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
products  of  the  revival  movements,  and  was  among  the  first  in 
welcoming  and  promoting  the  formation  of  a  new  religious  de- 
nomination. His  home  was  on  the  Little  Antietam  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Maryland,  and  from  this  center  he  extended  his 
labors  over  a  wide  area.  Here,  before  there  was  a  United 
Brethren  Church,  the  first  class  was  formed,  and  here  the  first 
house  of  worship  was  erected  by  the  adherents  of  the  new 
movement.  Mr.  Geeting  a  little  later  came  near  being  the  pas- 
tor of  the  first  congregation  outside  of  Baltimore  established 
in  a  town;  namely,  Hagerstown.  The  idea,  however,  of  a 
traveling  ministry  prevented  this. 

Due  to  him  is  the  fact  that  there  is  handed  down  to  us  a  rec- 
ord of  the  annual  conference  from  its  first  regular  session  in 
1800,  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1812.  He  kept  the  minutes 
on  separate  sheets  and  recorded  the  same  a  short  time  before 
his  death  in  a  permanent  record,  which  is  the  most  important 
historical  treasure  posessed  by  the  Church.  He  prefaced  his 
record  with  the  words:  "Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth; 
thy  Word  is  truth.  Do  it,  Lord  Jesus,  for  the  sake  of  thy  suf- 
fering and  death.  Amen."  In  the  last  minutes  recorded  by  him 
he  writes :  "O  Lord,  thou  Almighty  God,  bless  thy  work.  Give 
to  all  thy  servants  who  preach  among  us  thy  Holy  Spirit.  Fill 
us  all  with  thy  pure  love  and  with  power  and  with  understand- 
ing to  preach  thy  word,  and  to  lead  a  good,  upright  life,  and 
to  honor  thee,  O  God,  from  the  depths  of  our  hearts."  Well 
did  the  succeeding  conference  declare  of  him,  "He  was,  as  a 
preacher  and  teacher,  an  awakening  voice  to  warn  sleeping 
sinners,  a  comforter  and  cnide  of  the  weak  and  sorrowing,  a 
father  to  all  around  him."    As  the  friend  of  Otterbein,  as  an 


Otterbein  and  His  Colaborem  15 

eloquent  preacher,  as  an  untiring  worker,  as  including  in  his 
prevision  the  larger  things  to  come,  we  honor  him  this  day. 

NEWCOMER. 

The  last  one  on  whose  individual  place  and  work  I  must 
dwell  is  Christian  Newcomer.  His  unequaled  foresight  and 
long-continued  labors  made  him  the  transmitter  and  guardian 
of  the  evangelical  treasures  and  beginnings  of  organic  life 
already  sketched.  He  was  the  child  of  the  hour,  bom  to  every 
requirement  of  the  occasion.  He  needed  not  to  assume  his 
position  or  to  act  a  part.  Tall  in  stature,  of  rugged  constitu- 
tion, strong  and  active  mentally,  of  a  quick  and  responsive 
social  nature,  and  not  dependent  on  his  ministry  for  support, 
he  filled  a  necessary  place  in  making  the  transient  permanent, 
in  making  the  local  general,  and  in  developing  a  suitable  order 
and  structure  for  the  outburst  of  a  new  spiritual  life.  Under 
his  influence,  largely,  the  so-called  "unsectarian"  were  to  be- 
come a  denomination,  and  the  so-called  "society"  was  more 
fully  to  develop  the  character  of  a  church. 

His  own  progressive  views  and  the  reluctant  advance  of  the 
new  society  are  plainly  seen  in  an  entry  in  his  journal  for  May 
10,  1809.  He  wrote :  "This  day  the  session  of  our  conference 
commenced.  .  .  .  My  wish  and  desire  were  to  have  better 
order  and  discipline  established  in  our  society,  and  some  of  my 
brethren  were  of  the  opinion  that  this  was  unnecessary,  that 
the  Word  of  God  alone  was  all-sufficient,  and  were  therefore 
opposed  to  all  discipline.  I  could  plainly  see  that  this  opposi- 
tion originated  in  prejudice;  therefore  I  sincerely  and  fervent- 
ly prayed  for  the  illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Lord 
answered  my  prayer  when  I  almost  despaired  of  success  and 
had  nearly  determined  to  leave  and  withdraw  from  the  so- 
ciety." Opposition  to  any  decided  advance  still  manifested 
itself  in  local  communities,  in  annual  conferences,  even  in  the 
General  Conference  sessions ;  but  the  enlarged  view,  single  aim» 
and  unremitted  effort  of  Newcomer  more  and  more  prevailed. 
He  early  formed  classes,  with  his  own  hands  stitched  the  first 
class-book,  assisted  in  preparing  a  manuscript  discipline,  which 


16  A  Century 

is  still  preserved,  presided  in  the  formation  of  the  new  confer- 
ence in  Ohio  in  1810,  was  elected  active  Bishop  in  1813,  again 
elected  Bishop  in  1814,  and  with  the  formation  of  the  General 
Conference  in  1815  was  five  times  successively  reelected.  He 
gathered  the  first  missionary  money,  and  was  noted  for  the 
number  of  young  men  that  he  introduced  into  the  ministry. 
He  preached,  for  the  most  part,  in  German,  but  also  in  En- 
glish. He  opened  the  way  for  a  larger  fellowship  with  kindred 
denominations,  laboring  even  for  an  organic  union  of  the 
L'nited  Brethren  and  the  Evangelical  Association. 

Beginning  with  1810  he  annually,  with  the  exception  of  the 
year  1811,  journeyed  on  horseback  from  his  home  in  Mary- 
land, through  Pennsylvania,  to  Ohio,  and  sometimes  to  In- 
diana, in  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  minister  and  Bishop, 
making  his  nineteenth  journey  in  1829,  the  year  preceding  his 
death,  when  he  was  already  past  eighty  years  of  age.  In  the 
course  of  his  labors  he  also  visited  Kentucky,  New  York,  and 
Canada.  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia,  however,  con- 
stituted his  special  field.  Through  his  ordination  by  Otterbein 
in  1813,  ordination  has  been  given  to  all  who  have  held  the 
office  of  Bishop  in  the  Church,  Bishop  Hoffman,  who  was  or- 
dained with  him  excepted,  and  thus  the  hand  of  Christian 
Newcomer  has  been  laid  upon  the  heads  of  all  of  the  ministers 
of  the  Church.  No  picture  of  this  Church  father  has  been 
handed  down,  and  no  living  person  knows  the  exact  spot  in 
the  cemetery  near  his  Maryland  home  where  his  dust  sleeps 
waiting  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

Beyond  this  quaternion  of  noble  names,  time  will  not  permit 
more  than  a  mention  of  Schwope,  Otterbein's  predecessor  in 
Baltimore;  of  Weidner,  Baker,  and  Herr,  among  the  first  to 
pass  from  labo^  to  reward ;  of  Crider,  Schaffer,  Grosch,  Lehman, 
Neidig,  Peter  Kemp,  the  two  Krums,  and  the  three  Hersheys; 
of  Senseny  and  Nisewander  in  Virginia;  of  Troxel  and  Ber- 
ger,  whose  labors  were  bestowed  in  western  Pennsylvania;  of 
Hoffman,  Baulus,  and  Benedum,  pioneers  in  Ohio;  and  of 
Pfrimmer,  the  pioneer  in  Indiana.  Their  names  are  cher- 
ished on  earth,  and  their  labors  still  bear  fruit.    Many  whose 


Otterbein  and  His  Colaborers  17 

^names  are  no  longer  spoken  by  men  have  long  been  enjoying 
'their  full  reward  and  honor  on  high. 

Of  Otterbein  and  his  immediate  colaborers,  it  may  be  said 
that  they  were  by  nature  and  grace  well  fitted  and  equipped 
for  their  work  of  laying  foundations  and  guiding  and  guarding 
the  beginnings  of  denominational  life.  They  gave  such  promi- 
nence to  the  experimental  and  practical  that  a  lasting  defect 
and  constant  peril  would  have  attached  to  their  work  had  they 
not  equally  held  to  biblical  authority,  time-approved  doctrine, 
and  unfettered  intellectual  freedom.  Doctrinal  peculiarity, 
emotional  one-sidedness,  and  ethical  laxness  did  not  present 
themselves,  or  were  held  firmly  in  check  by  elements  that  con- 
stituted a  just  counterpoise.  They  fulfilled  the  requirement 
of  the  maxim,  to  pray  as  if  all  depended  on  God  and  to  labor 
as  if  all  depended  on  man.  May  we  fulfill  the  requirements  of 
our  day  as  they  fulfilled  the  requirements  of  theirs.  As  God 
graciously  granted  them  prevision  in  their  important  work  of 
foundation  laying,  may  he  grant  us  vision  of  the  character  and 
triumph  of  the  work  assigned  to  us. 


MYSTICISM  IN  THE  OKIGIN  AND  GROWTH  OF  THE 
UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST. 

Bishop  J.  S.  Mills,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

With  one  class  of  persons,  whatever  is  dark,  misty,  incom- 
prehensible, mysterious,  is  called  mysticism.  But  this  is  not 
the  sense  in  which  I  use  the  term.  By  another  class,  whatever 
belongs  to  the  manifestations  of  the  subconscious  mind,  such 
as  dreams,  visions,  trances,  ecstacies,  etc.,  is  called  mysticism, 
but  this  is  not  the  sense  in  which  the  term  is  here  used. 

There  is  a  mystic  element  in  both  Christianity  as  a  system 
and  in  Christian  experiences.  Mysticism,  as  related  to  a  sys- 
tem of  doctrines,  is  the  warm  life-blood  as  contrasted  with  a 
dry  skeleton ;  as  related  to  mere  forms  and  ceremonies  it  is  the 
living  spirit  as  contrasted  with  a  dead  body.  The  Saviour  said, 
"My  words  are  spirit  and  life,"  and  Paul  declares,  "The  letter 
killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life."  I  do  not  depreciate  either 
doctrines  or  ceremonies  when  I  say  that,  apart  from  the  vital 
mystic  element  of  religion  they  are  like  the  man  who  has  no 
love — "a  sounding  brass,  or  a  clanking  cymbal." 

With  the  wonder-working  mystic  of  Romanism,  or  with  the 
mere  speculative  mystic  of  either  ancient  or  mediaeval  times, 
or  with  the  hysterical  or  ecstatic  mystic,  we  have,  on  this  occa- 
sion, nothing  to  do.  We  limit  our  attention  to  evangelical  mys- 
ticism, which  is  the  very  life  and  spirit  of  the  religion  of  the 
Christ.  It  may  be  defined  as  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man, 
making  man  conscious  of  his  divine  sonship,  or,  as  a  conscious 
union  between  God  and  the  soul  of  man,  or,  as  a  pure,  loving 
heart  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

To  the  mystic,  the  life  of  Christ  is  the  type  of  his  own  life. 
Christ  is  not  only  a  real  historic  person,  but  that  person  is  the 
principle  of  the  whole  of  the  "new  creation."  The  late  Dr. 
Dorner,  whose  life  was  the  noblest  illustration,  and  his  teach- 

18 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  19 

ings  the  wisest  expositions  of  evangelical  mysticism,  says :  "In 
the  Son  of  Man  the  Holy  Spirit  obtains  the  primitive  scene  of 
his  perfect  realization  in  the  world.  The  Son  of  Man  is  the 
point  in  which  humanity  has  returned  into  God — the  firstborn 
of  true  humanity  united  with  God.  At  first  he  is  still  alone. 
But  since  he  has  the  Spirit  without  measure,  he  is  able  to  bap- 
tize with  fire  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  a  race  of  many  brethren 
may  be  born  to  him.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 
As  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  refers  back  to  Christ  and  carries  in 
himself  the  power  to  diffuse  the  divine-human  life,  in  order  to 
carry  on  the  union  of  the  human  with  the  divine.  Such  power 
of  union  is  the  regeneration  of  the  human  spirit  and  nature, 
in  virtue  of  the  absolute  union  of  the  two  accomplished  in 
Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit  does  not,  after  Christ,  begin  to  unite 
the  divine  and  human  again  de  novo;  but  in  fixing  historical 
continuity,  the  divine-human  personal  unity,  which  in  Christ 
is  incorporated  with  humanity,  is  employed  for  the  purpose  of 
propagating  the  life  of  the  God-man.  Through  him  sons  of 
God  are  begotten — a  race  whose  progenitor  is  Christ. 

"He  is  not  content  with  the  existence  in  himself  of  the  full- 
ness of  spiritual  life,  into  which  his  people  are  absorbed  by 
faith.  Believers  are  themselves  to  live  and  love  as  free  person- 
alities. Therefore,  Christ's  redeeming  purpose  is  directed  to 
the  creation  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  he  sends,  of  new  person- 
alities, in  whom  Christ  gains  a  settled,  established  being.  But 
by  this  very  means  God  exists  in  them  after  a  new  manner,  new 
not  merely  because  the  power  of  redemption  and  consumma- 
tion inheres  only  in  God's  being  in  Christ,  but  now  also  because, 
although  Christ  remains  the  principle  of  the  life,  this  life 
shapes  itself  in  freedom  and  distinctness  from  Christ,  and 
unfolds  its  light  and  grace  and  love  in  man,  as  a  living  treas- 
ure of  salvation.  Thus  the  Holy  Spirit  produces  a  new  person, 
of  a  new  volition,  knowledge,  feeling,  a  new  self-conscious- 
ness. The  new  personality  is  formed  in  inner  resemblance  to 
the  second  Adam,  of  the  same  family  type. 

"Now,  although  God  thus  establishes,  through  the  Holy 
Spirit,  a  new  world  of  light,  of  divine  peace,  and  divinely  or- 


20  A  Century 

dered  life,  in  place  of  the  old,  chaotic  world,  it  is  still  certain 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  of  that  which  is  Christ's,  his  office 
being  to  introduce  into  the  heart  the  revelation  objectively  per- 
fected in  Christ.  This  revelation,  to  which  he  leads  men,  is 
the  blessing  which  he  seeks  to  make  a  subjective  possession. 
He  seeks  to  glorify  Christ  by  disclosing  his  mind,  imprinting 
his  image  on  the  heart,  and  thus  uniting  with  him.  He  makes 
the  all-sufficient  fullness  that  is  in  Christ  the  possession  of  the 
human  personality.  Thus  the  things  that  are  in  Christ  for 
the  redeemed  race,  the  new  creation,  are  made  the  conscious 
possession  of  each  saved  individual.'^ 

Pascal,  a  noble  mystic,  taught  as  one  of  the  great  principles 
of  Christianity  "that  everything  tliat  happened  to  Jesus  Christ 
should  come  to  pass  in  the  soul  and  in  the  body  of  each  Chris- 
tian." Was  Christ  conceived  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 
So  is  the  believer  born  of  God.  Did  Christ  receive  the  Spirit 
without  measure?  So  the  believer  is  to  be  "filled  with  the 
Spirit,"  even  all  the  "fullness  of  God."  Was  Christ  led  into 
the  wilderness  to  be  tested  ?  So  every  believer  is  tested  in  some 
wilderness.  Did  Christ  bear  witness  to  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  in  him  by  a  life  of  prayer  and  humility  before  God  and 
helpfulness  and  sympathy  for  his  fellow-men?  The  believer 
lives  the  same  life  of  faith  and  service  for  God  and  man, 
through  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Did  Christ 
have  seasons  of  transfigured  fellowship  with  God?  So  has 
every  believer  joy,  peace,  and  comfort  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  Was 
Christ  despised  by  Pharisees  and  worldly  men?  No  believer 
is  above  his  Lord.  Did  Jesus  have  his  Gethsemane,  in  which 
the  sin  and  sorrow  of  the  world  almost  crushed  out  life  ?  Every 
believer  will  have  fellowship  with  him  in  his  sufferings.  Was 
Christ  crucified,  dead,  and  buried  ?  Every  believer  is  crucified 
to  the  world,  dead,  and  buried  with  him.  Was  Christ  raised 
again  by  the  power  of  God  ?  Every  believer  is  risen  with  him. 
Did  Christ  ascend  to  heaven,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father?  Every  believer  is  made  to  sit  with  him  in  the 
heavenlies  in  Christ  Jesus.  Is  Christ  the  light  of  the  world? 
Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  in  him.    Is  Christ  the  eternal  life  ? 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  21 

Ye  have  eternal  life  through  faith  in  him.  Is  Christ  the  head 
of  the  new  race  ?  Ye  are  his  body  and  members  in  particular. 
Is  Christ  the  true  vine  ?  Ye  are  the  branches  thereof.  Is  Christ 
the  Son  of  God  ?  Every  believer  is  a  son  of  God.  Has  Christ 
sat  down  on  his  Father's  throne  ?  He  that  overcometh  is  to  sit 
down  on  his  throne,  even  as  he  sits  on  his  Father's  throne. 
Does  Christ  share  his  Father's  glory  ?  "The  glory  thou  gavest 
me  I  have  given  unto  them."  Does  Christ  share  his  Father's 
nature  ?    So  are  we  made  "partakers  of  the  divine  nature." 

Thus  Christ  is  the  second  Adam,  the  head  of  a  new  order  of 
beings,  the  type  of  the  new  creation — the  kingdom  of  God. 
John  says,  "As  he  is,  even  so  are  we  in  this  world."  This  does 
not  deny  or  degrade  the  divinity  of  our  Lord,  but  it  exalts  re- 
deemed man.  From  this  viewpoint  we  have  a  clear  definition 
of  Christian  experience.  It  is  "making  true  or  real  in  us  what 
is  already  true  for  us  in  Christ  Jesus,"  "to  be  transformed  into 
the  same  image,  from  glory  unto  glory,  as  by  the  Lord,  the 
Spirit." 

The  mystic  is  fond  of  those  passages  in  St.  Paul's  letters 
which  speak  of  being  "filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God,"  "the 
mystery  which  was  hid  from  all  ages  and  generations,  but 
which  is  now  manifested  to  his  saints,  which  is  Christ  in  you, 
the  hope  of  glory,"  "So  that  I  no  longer  live,  but  Christ  lives 
in  me,"  "Christ  is  my  life."  But  John's  Gospel  and  letters  are 
his  special  delight,  where  he  learns  to  abide  in  Christ  as  the 
branch  is  in  the  vine;  where  he  also  reads,  "That  they  aU  may 
be  one,  even  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that 
they  also  may  be  one,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
didst  send  me."  John  was  the  mystic  among  the  disciples. 
Through  the  power  of  love  he  learned  more  of  the  spiritual 
things  of  Christ  than  any  one  ever  knew.  He  is  the  best  illus- 
tration of  a  true  mysticism — union  with  God  as  a  conscious 
experience. 

Jesus  said  of  John,  "If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what 
is  that  to  thee  ?  follow  thou  me."  In  men  of  like  mystic  nature 
and  loving  devotion  to  the  Master  John  has  been  present  in 
every  age  of  the  church,  but  frequently  in  retirement  and  ob- 


22  A  Century 

scurity,  but  always  teaching  the  same  doctrine — love  to  God 
and  man  as  the  fulfillment  of  the  law  and  the  prophets. 

Clement  of  Alexandria,  Origen,  Augustine,  as  revealed  in  his 
"Confessions"  and  lectures  on  John's  Gospel  and  John's  first 
letter,  Hugo  and  Kichard  of  Saint  Victor,  Saint  Bernard  of 
Clairveaux,  and  Saint  Francis  of  Assisi  are  the  greatest  of  this 
class  of  men  in  the  church  from  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century  down  to  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.  These 
were  leaders  in  the  struggle  for  spiritual  life,  followed  by  a 
multitude  of  men  and  women,  who,  amid  the  darkness  sur- 
rounding them,  loved  God  and  worked  righteousness. 

But  as  it  is  from  the  German  mystics  that  our  Church  has 
received,  under  God,  its  noblest  heredity  of  faith  and  life,  we 
turn  to  consider  them.  It  is  safe  to  predict  that  when  we,  as 
a  church,  come  to  a  consciousness  of  our  heredity,  we  will  fol- 
low our  German  ancestry  in  our  theology.  Our  Church  has 
always  been  German  at  heart.  Master  Eckart,  one  of  the  great- 
est minds  of  the  middle  ages,  was  born  at  Strassburg  in  1260, 
and  died  in  1329.  He  is  regarded  as  the  father  of  German 
mysticism.  Of  this  school,  Professor  Fisher,  of  Yale,  says 
("History  of  Doctrines,"  page  264)  :  "The  mystics  of  the  four- 
teenth century  and  their  disciples,  especially  the  German  school 
of  mystics,  did  pave  the  way  for  the  Reformation,  by  inculcat- 
ing, by  precept  and  example,  the  inwardness  of  true  religion, 
and  by  making  the  value  of  the  doctrines  to  consist  in  their 
relation  to  practical  piety.  Among  the  most  eminent  of  these 
later  mystics  are  Master  Eckart,  Henry  Suso,  John  Tauler, 
Euysbroek,  Thomas  a  Kempis,  and  the  anonymous  author  of 
the  German  theology.  The  mystics  did  not  undervalue  an  ac- 
tive life  of  duty,  a  life  of  faithful  labor  in  one's  vocation. 
Along  with  it  they  placed  the  contemplative  life,  the  blissful 
communion  with  God,  as  the  object  of  aspiration.  The  path 
to  this  experience  was  through  purification,  inward  illumina- 
tion, and  union  with  God." 

While  both  Eckart  and  Suso  used  language  which  savored  of 
pantheism,  Fisher  says,  "Eckart,  in  his  deep,  practical  convic- 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  23 

tions,  was  a  theist,"  and,  "The  language  of  Suso  is  pantheistic, 
but  this  is  not  its  real  intent." 

Eckart  taught  that  "God  is  alike  near  to  all  creatures.  I 
have  a  power  in  my  soul  which  enables  me  to  see  God.  I  am 
as  certain  as  that  I  live  that  nothing  is  so  near  to  me  as  God. 
He  is  nearer  to  me  than  I  am  to  myself.  God  is  in  all  things 
and  places  alike,  and  is  every  ready  to  give  himself  to  us  in 
as  far  as  we  are  able  to  receive  him.  He  knows  God  aright  who 
sees  him  in  all  things."  (Allen,  "Continuity  of  Christian 
Thought,"  pages  261-2.) 

Again,  he  says :  "God  is  a  pure  God  in  himself,  therefore  he 
will  dwell  only  in  a  pure  soul.  There  he  may  pour  himself  out ; 
into  that  he  can  wholly  flow.  What  is  purity  ?  It  is  that  man 
should  have  turned  himself  away  from  all  creatures  and  have 
set  his  heart  so  entirely  on  the  pure  good,  that  no  creature  is  to 
him  a  comfort,  that  he  has  no  desire  for  aught  creaturely,  save 
so  far  as  he  may  apprehend  therein  the  pure  good  which  is  God. 
And  as  little  as  the  bright  eye  can  endure  aught  foreign  in  it, 
so  little  can  the  pure  soul  bear  anything  in  it,  any  stain,  aught 
between  it  and  God.  To  it  all  creatures  are  pure  to  enjoy,  for 
it  enjoyeth  all  creatures  in  God,  and  God  in  all  creatures.  Yea, 
so  pure  is  that  soul  that  she  seeth  through  herself,  she  needeth 
not  seek  God  afar  off,  she  findeth  him  in  herself,  when  she  hath 
flowed  out  into  the  pure  Godhead,  and  thus  is  she  in  God  and 
God  in  her."  (Vaughn,  "Hours  with  the  Mystics,"  Vol.  I., 
page  193.) 

Eckart  was  the  philosopher  of  this  group,  one  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  in  the  middle  ages,  who  anticipated  many  of  the  best 
thoughts  of  Hegel  and  Fichte  in  modern  speculation.  He  was 
at  the  same  time  a  humble,  devout  Christian. 

Ruysbroek  was  Eckart's  fellow,  both  in  speculation  and  in 
practical  piety.  He  teaches:  "True  penitence  is  of  the  heart; 
bodily  suffering  is  not  essential.  No  one  is  to  think  that  he 
is  shut  out  from  Christ  because  he  cannot  bear  the  torturing 
penance  some  endure.  We  must  never  be  satisfied  with  any 
performance,  any  virtue.  Only  in  the  abyss,  the  nothingness 
of  humility  do  we  rise  beyond  all  heavens.     The  desire  after 


24  A  Century 

God  is  not  kept  back  by  the  sense  of  defect.  The  longing  soul 
knows  only  this,  that  it  is  bent  on  God;  swallowed  up  in  as- 
piration, it  can  take  hold  of  nothing  more. 

"God  dwells  in  the  highest  part  of  our  soul.  He  who  ascends 
this  height  has  all  things  under  his  feet.  We  cannot  compel 
God  by  our  love  to  love  us,  but  he  cannot  sanctify  us  unless  we 
freely  contribute  our  effort.  The  free  inspiration  of  God  is  the 
spring  of  all  our  spiritual  life.  God  dwells  in  the  heart  pure 
and  free  from  every  image.  We  are  one  with  God,  but  yet 
always  creature  existences  distinct  from  God.  But  what  shall 
I  call  this  blessedness?  It  includes  peace,  inward  silence,  af- 
fectionate hanging  on  the  source  of  joy,  sleep  in  God,  contem- 
plation of  the  heaven  of  darkness  far  above  reason."  (Vaughn, 
"Hours  with  the  Mystics,"  Vol.  L,  pages  127-9.) 

Among  these  "friends  of  God,"  Henry  Suso  was  the  mystic 
poet.    In  the  poem,  entitled  "A  New  Song,"  he  sings  of  Jesus : 

"To  thee,  Lord,  my  heart  unfoldeth. 

As  the  rose  to  the  golden  sun ; 
To  thee.  Lord,  mine  arms  are  clinging. 

The  eternal  joy  begun. 
Forever,  through  endless  ages. 

Thy  cross  and  thy  sorrow  shall  be 
The  glory,  the  song,  and  the  sweetness, 

That  make  heaven  heaven  for  me. 
Let  one  in  his  innocence  glory, 

Another  in  works  he  has  done — 
Thy  blood  is  my  claim  and  my  title, 

Beside  it,  O  Lord,  I  have  none. 
The  scorned,  the  despised,  the  rejected. 

Thou  hast  come  to  this  heart  of  mine ; 
In  thy  robes  of  eternal  glory, 

Thou  welcomest  me  to  thine." 

In  the  poem  called  "The  Gospel  of  the  Friends  of  God," 
Christ  as  our  life  is  portrayed : 

"  *To  me  to  live  is  Christ,'  and  yet  the  days 
Are  days  of  toiling  men  ; 
We  rise  at  morn,  and  tread  the  beaten  ways. 
And  lay  us  down  again. 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Oroiuth  25 

"How  is  it  that  this  base,  unsightly  life 
Can  yet  be  Christ  alone? 
Our  common  need,  and  weariness  and  strife, 
While  common  days  wear  on. 

"Then  saw  I  how  before  a  Master  wise 
A  shapeless  stone  was  set ; 
He  said,  'Therein  a  form  of  beauty  lies, 
Though  none  behold  it  yet. 

"  'When  all  beside  shall  be  hewn  away, 
That  glorious  shape  shall  stand 
In  beauty  of  the  everlasting  day, 
Of  the  unsullied  land.' 

"Thus  it  is  with  the  homely  life  around. 
There  hidden  Christ  abides ; 
Still  by  the  single  eye  forever  found, 
That  seeketh  none  besides. 

"WTien  hewn  and  shaped  till  self  no  more  is  found, 

Self  ended  at  the  cross ; 
The  precious  freed  from  all  the  vile  around, 
No  gain,  but  blessed  loss, 

"Then  Christ  alone  remains — the  former  things 
Forever  passed  away ; 
•  And  unto  him  the  heart  in  gladness  sings 

All  through  the  weary  day." 

Or  this,  describing  the  present  joy  of  the  hidden  life  of 
divine  love : 


'Lord,  thou  hast  loved  me;  and,  henceforth  to  me, 

Earth's  noonday  is  but  gloom ; 
My  soul  sails  forth  on  the  eternal  sea, 

And  leaves  the  shore  of  doom. 

'I  pass  within  the  glory  even  now, 

Where  shapes  and  words  are  not, 
For  joy  that  passeth  words,  O  Lord,  art  thou, — 

A  bliss  that  passeth  thought. 


26  A  Century 

"Heaven  now  for  me — forever  Christ  and  heaven ! 
The  endless  now  begun ! 
No  promise,  but  a  gift  eternal  given, 
Because  the  work  is  done." 

—"The  Three  Friends  of  Godr 

Tauler,  after  a  wonderful  experience  of  divine  things,  be- 
came the  most  noted  preacher  of  these  "God-intoxicated"  peo- 
ple, who  dwelt  about  Cologne,  Strassburg,  and  along  the  Khine. 
To  be  appreciated,  his  sermons  must  be  read  and  his  life 
studied. 

Thomas  a  Kempis's  "Imitation  of  Christ,"  and  the  book 
called  "German  Theology,"  a  theology  of  heart  religion,  have 
come  down  to  us,  after  kindling  the  sacred  fire  of  piety  in  the 
hearts  of  millions  for  the  past  five  hundred  years. 

Of  this  latter  book,  Luther  says:  "Though  it  be  poor  and 
rude  in  words,  it  is  so  much  the  richer  and  more  precious  in 
knowledge  and  divine  wisdom.  And  I  will  say,  though  it  may 
be  boasting  of  myself  and  'I  speak  as  a  fool,'  that  next  to  the 
Bible  and  Saint  Augustine,  no  book  hath  ever  come  into  my 
hands  whence  I  have  learned  more  of  what  God  and  Christ  and 
man  and  all  things  are."  The  German  Reformation  was  largely 
indebted  to  what  Luther  learned  from  the  German  mystics. 

On  this  subject.  Professor  Fisher  says:  "We  turn  now  to 
another  class  of  men  who  powerfully,  though  indirectly,  paved 
the  way  for  the  Protestant  Reformation — the  mystics. 

"Mysticism  has  developed  itself  all  through  the  scholastic 
period,  in  individuals  of  profound  religious  feelings,  to  whom 
the  dialectic  tendency  was  repugnant.  Such  men  were  Saint 
Bernard,  Boneventura,  and  the  school  of  Saint  Victor.  The 
characteristics  of  the  mystics  is  the  life  of  feeling;  the  prefer- 
ence of  intuition  to  logic ;  the  quest  for  knowledge  through  light 
imparted  to  feeling,  rather  than  by  the  processes  of  the  intel- 
lect; the  indwelling  of  God  in  the  soul,  elevated  to  a  holy 
calm  by  the  consciousness  of  his  presence ;  absolute  self-renun- 
ciation and  the  absorption  of  the  human  will  into  the  divine; 
the  ecstatic  mood.     The  mystics  were  eagerly  heard  by  thou- 


Mysticism  in  the  OHgin  and  Growth  27 

sands  who  yearned  for  a  more  vital  kind  of  religion  than  the 
church  had  afforded  them. 

"With  these  pioneers  of  reform,  and  not  with  men  like  Huss 
and  Wickliffe,  the  religious  training  of  Luther  and  his  great 
movement  have  a  direct  historical  connection."  ("History  of 
the  Keformation,"  pages  65-6-7.) 

Dr.  Schaff,  in  his  "History  of  the  German  Reformation," 
speaks  of  this  matter  as  follows:  "There  are  various  types  of 
mysticism,  orthodox  and  heretical,  speculative  and  practical. 
Luther  came  in  contact  with  the  practical  and  catholic  type 
through  Staupitz  and  the  writings  of  Saint  Augustine,  Saint 
Bernard,  and  Tauler.  It  deepened  and  spiritualized  his  piety 
and  left  permanent  traces  on  his  theology.  The  Lutheran 
Church,  like  the  Catholic,  always  had  room  for  mystic  ten- 
dencies. But  mysticism  alone  could  not  satisfy  him,  especially 
after  the  Reformation  began  in  earnest.  It  was  too  passive 
and  sentimental  and  shrank  from  conflict.  It  was  a  theology 
of  feeling  rather  than  action.  Luther  was  a  born  fighter,  and 
waxed  stronger  and  stronger  in  battle.  His  theology  is  biblical, 
such  mystic  elements  as  the  Bible  itself  contains."  ("History 
of  the  German  Reformation,"  pages  142-3.) 

It  is  a  fact  of  profound  significance  that  not  only  the  German 
Reformation,  but  every  great  revival  of  religion  is  the  result 
of  the  work  of  some  one  or  more  persons,  who  enjoyed  this 
mystic  union  with  God,  and  through  whose  deep  experiences  of 
spiritual  truth  God  could  speak  to  other  persons.  This  life  of 
God  in  the  soul  of  man  is  the  leaven  that  leavens  the  lump  of 
humanity.  This  is  not  only  the  living  water  that  slakes  the 
thirst  of  the  soul,  but  it  is  the  living  energy  that  throbs  in  the 
one  in  whom  it  dwells,  and  infects  for  good  those  about  him. 
Good  as  genuine  doctrines  may  be,  noble  as  forms  and  cere- 
monies are,  divine  as  a  pure  life  of  charity  is,  the  mystic  life 
of  union  with  God  is  the  vital  fact,  the  divine  element  in  all 
religious  matters. 

Dr.  Charles  Hodge  quotes  Tholuck  as  saying:  "There  is  a 
law  of  seasons  in  the  spiritual,  as  well  as  in  the  physical  world, 
in  virtue  of  which,  when  the  time  has  come,  without  any  ap- 


28  A  Century 

parent   connection,   similar  phenomena   reveal  themselves   in 

different  places.  As  towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century 
an  ecclesiastical  doctrinal  reformatory  movement  passed  over 
the  greater  part  of  Europe,  in  part  without  apparent  connec- 
tion, so  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  a  mystical  and  spiritual 
tendency  was  almost  as  extensively  manifested.  In  Germany, 
it  took  the  form  of  mysticism  and  pietism;  in  England,  of 
Quakerism;  in  France,  of  Jansenism  and  mysticism;  and  in 
Spain  and  Italy,  of  quietism."  Then  Dr.  Hodge  continues: 
"This  movement  was  in  fact  what  in  our  day  would  be  called 
a  revival  of  religion.  Not,  indeed,  in  a  form  free  from  grievous 
errors,  but  nevertheless  it  was  a  return  to  the  religion  of  the 
heart,  as  opposed  to  the  religion  of  forms.  The  mystics  of  this 
period,  although  they  constantly  appealed  to  the  mediaeval  mys- 
tics, even  to  the  Areopagite,  and  although  they  often  used  the 
same  forms  of  expression,  yet  they  adhered  much  more  faith- 
fully to  Scripture  doctrines  and  to  the  faith  of  the  church. 
They  did  not  believe  in  pantheism,  nor  believe  in  the  absorption 
of  the  soul  into  God.  They  held,  however,  that  the  end  to  be 
attained  was  union  with  God."  (Hodge's  "Theology,"  Vol.  I., 
page  84.) 

We  know  who  the  leaders  of  this  great  revival,  over  the  Chris- 
tian world,  were.  In  Germany,  Franke  and  Spener;  in  Eng- 
land, Fox  and  Penn;  in  France  and  Switzerland,  De  Sales, 
Madam  Guyon,  and  Fenelon;  in  Spain  and  Italy,  Molinas — 
all  of  the  acknowledged  type  of  evangelical  mystics. 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  the  pietist  movement  continued  in 
Germany.  Zinzendorf  wa*  brought  up  in  the  home  of  a  pietist, 
and  educated  in  the  pietist  school  at  Halle.  In  the  providence 
of  God,  he  carried  this  holy  fire  to  his  new  home,  Bethelsdorf, 
where  he  gathered  about  him  the  refugees  who  constituted  the 
remnant  of  the  Moravian  Church.  Under  the  leadership  of 
Zinzendorf,  a  great  revival  was  brought  about,  and  a  new  era 
in  the  history  of  the  Moravians  was  begun,  and  the  fire  re- 
kindled has  burned  brightly  down  to  the  present.  A  similar 
revival  took  place  in  England  and  America,  which  has  con- 
tinued down  to  our  day,  with  more  or  less  intensity.     I  refer 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  29 

to  the  Wesleyan  revival,  under  the  labors  of  the  Wesleys  and 
their  coworkers;  and  to  the  New  England  revival,  under  the 
labors  of  Jonathan  Edwards  and  his  associates ;  and  the  revival 
among  the  Germans  in  this  country,  under  the  labors  of  Otter- 
bein  and  his  colleagues. 

We  all  know  that  John  Wesley  owed  his  initiation  into  a 
saving  knowledge  of  God  to  the  mystic  Moravians,  William 
Law,  and  the  mystic  books  of  the  middle  ages.  Whoever  will 
read  Edwards  "On  the  Affections"  will  find  that  his  torch,  also, 
was  lighted  at  the  fire  of  the  mystics. 

Now,  it  might  be  easy  to  infer  that  Otterbein  was  not  an 
exception  to  the  rule  that  all  leaders  in  great  revivals  are  mys- 
tics. But  in  his  case  we  have  clear  evidence  of  this  fact.  Dr. 
Drury  has  traced  the  connection  of  Otterbein  with  the  pietists. 
We  know  that  Otterbein's  favorite  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
was  the  Berleherg  Bihle — a  translation  and  commentary  pre- 
pared by  a  coterie  of  mystics.  With  all  this  harmonizes  what 
we  know  of  the  experience,  preaching,  and  life  of  this  noble 
man  of  God. 

In  the  beginning  and  early  history  of  our  Church,  the  spirit 
of  mysticism,  out  of  which  it  was  born,  was  a  violent  reaction 
against  the  rationalism  and  formalism  of  the  prevailing  type 
of  religion  in  America.  Reactions  always  go  to  the  opposite 
extreme.  This  is  well  known.  To  the  student  of  history,  this 
extreme  reaction  furnishes  the  certain  key  to  a  number  of  facts 
found  in  our  early  Church  history.  For  instance,  Otterbein 
held  membership  in  the  German  Reformed  Church  to  the  day 
of  his  death,  and  was  at  the  same  time  a  Bishop  in  the  Church 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ;  and  Boehm  was  a  member 
of  both  the  Methodist  Church  and  of  our  own  Church  at  the 
same  time.  These  matters  find  a  ready  explanation  in  the  fact 
that  these  men  were  mystics.  The  older  German  mystics  held 
a  similar  view  of  the  spiritual  church,  so  that  it  made  little 
difference  to  them  to  how  many  visible  organizations  each  be- 
longed; to  them  visible  churches  were  merely  matters  of  con- 
venience. Tauler  and  his  associates  were  members  of  the 
Roman  Church,  but  at  the  same  time  they  were  more  intimately 


30  A  Century 

united  with  the  organization  known  as  the  "Friends  of  God," 
or  with  the  people  known  as  the  "Brothers  of  the  Common 
Life."  We  also  find  a  modern  parallel  in  the  case  of  John 
Wesley,  who  remained  in  the  Episcopal  Church  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  and  was  the  great  leader  in  the  Methodist  Church  at 
the  same  time.  The  same  thing  was  true  of  Zinzendorf,  who 
was  both  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  also  the  bishop 
of  the  Moravian  Church.  These  were  all  mystics,  with  whom 
the  inner  life  of  the  Spirit  was  so  violent  a  reaction  against 
all  mere  forms  of  the  outer  life  that  they  did  not  prize  as  we  do 
the  value  of  visible  churches.  The  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in 
their  hearts  was  greater. 

The  same  key  explains  why  Otterbein  and  his  colaborers  did 
not  care  to  organize  their  converts  into  a  church,  or  even  to 
number  or  record  their  names,  until  Providence  thrust  the 
task  upon  them.  To  these  men,  living  in  an  atmosphere  of 
spiritual  convictions  and  experiences,  all  else  seemed  insignifi- 
cant compared  with  the  divine  realities  they  were  enjoying. 

Another  fact,  not  often  thought  of,  is  that  the  mystic's  con- 
scious relation  to  God  often  makes  him  strongly  individualistic. 
His  sense  of  responsibility  to  God  is  so  great  that  he  is  in- 
clined to  ignore  human  authority  and  human  fellowship,  and 
to  live  apart,  unless  he  finds  associates  of  like  spirit.  This  ele- 
ment makes  mysticism  a  powerful  solvent  of  creeds  and  cere- 
monies, and  even  of  church  organizations.  "Comeouterism" 
over  our  land  to-day  is  an  illustration  of  what  I  mean.  The 
leaders  of  it  are  usually  one-sided  mystics. 

This  is  one  of  the  elements  of  weakness  which  we  inherited 
from  our  fathers,  otherwise  grand  and  divine  men  as  they  were. 
Yet  this  lack  of  cohesiveness  and  of  a  just  appreciation  of  our 
own  Church  and  its  members  has  been  a  great  hindrance  to 
our  growth.  From  this  unconscious  cause,  men  in  other 
churches  have  often  been  honored  and  trusted  by  us,  while  men 
in  our  own  Church,  of  equal  culture,  ability,  experience,  and 
merit,  have  been  passed  by  simply  because  they  were  our  own 
men.     But,  fortunately  and  hopefully,  we  are  coming  to  our 


Mysticism  in  the  OHgin  and  Growth  31 

majority,  in  which  a  wise  self-valuation  enables  us  to  judge 
more  justly  of  ourselves  as  well  as  of  everybody  else. 

Personal  communion  with  God  and  immediate  responsibility 
to  him  are  true,  but  not  the  whole  truth.  This  mystic  fact  must 
be  supplemented  by  the  social  fact  of  fellowship  with  men  and 
responsibility  to  visible  organizations.  Humility  and  self- 
abasement  before  God  are  true  states  of  the  mind  of  a  Chris- 
tian, but  not  the  whole  truth.  They  must  be  counterbalanced 
by  a  just  appreciation  of  the  self  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  a  wise 
dignity  due  to  our  relations  to  him.  This  unconscious  influence 
of  certain  mystic  principles  carried  to  an  extreme  is  undoubt- 
edly the  cause  of  disintegration,  an  unwise  depreciation  of 
what  is  our  own,  and  the  feeble  cohesion  of  members,  as  seen 
in  the  ease  with  which  many  left  us  to  join  other  churches, 
under  the  slightest  pretexts. 

Must  we  forever  remain  under  the  ill  effects  of  this  heredity  ? 
Is  this  extremism  a  necessary  element  of  a  true  mysticism,  re- 
garding mysticism  as  only  one  element  of  religion  ?  I  answer. 
No.  In  proof  of  this,  I  cite  the  case  of  others  who  were  mystics 
without  this  effect  following.  Luther  was  as  much  a  mystic 
as  Otterbein,  but  he  was  saved  from  extremism  by  his  practical 
spirit.  Paul  and  John  both  were  greater  mystics  than  any 
modern  man,  but  along  with  this  they  held  to  other  elements 
of  religion,  which,  combining  with  their  mysticism,  made  it 
a  transcendent  power  for  good  in  them.  Fortunately,  we  can 
call  attention  to  a  period  in  our  own  history  when  this  mystic 
element,  combined  with  a  practical  element,  wrought  wonders 
in  our  Church  life. 

I  refer  to  the  period  from  1845  to  1860.  The  mystic  move- 
ment during  that  period  of  our  history  was  led  by  our  sainted 
Bishop  Edwards.  His  seeking  for  an  entrance  into  the  experi- 
ence of  union  with  God  is  a  parallel  to  that  of  Otterbein,  and 
also  to  that  of  Tauler.  He  soon  after  was  made  editor  of  the 
Religious  Telescope,  through  whose  columns  he  urged  the  doc- 
trine of  a  "higher  life."  In  1849,  he  was  elected  a  Bishop,  and 
continued  such  down  to  his  departure  in  1876.  During  this 
time  he  both  illustrated  and  earnestly  advocated  purity  of  heart 


32  A  Century 

and  life.  During  the  special  period  named — 1845  to  1860 — 
many  of  our  ministers  and  laymen  sought  this  mystic  experi- 
ence, and  obtained  it.  Did  this  have  a  good  or  a  bad  effect  on 
our  Church  during  the  period  named? 

The  facts  reveal  that  this  was  not  only  a  time  of  revival  of 
piety  among  the  members  of  our  Church,  but  it  was  also  the 
period  of  the  most  rapid  and  solid  growth  in  our  history.  This 
was  the  time  when  our  publishing  business  began  in  earnest 
and  took  substantial  form.  This  was  the  time  when  our  edu- 
cational work  had  its  birth,  and  five  schools  were  founded,  one 
in  each  of  the  States  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michi- 
gan, and  Iowa;  also,  a  ministerial  course  of  study  was  pro- 
vided for  those  who  would  be  ordained  to  the  ministry  among 
us.  And  further,  this  was  the  time  when  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  our  Church  was  organized,  and  our  foreign  mission 
work  begun;  and,  what  is  still  greater,  the  membership  of  our 
Church  advanced,  during  these  fifteen  years,  from  36,000  to 
94,500 — almost  multiplied  by  three. 

But  following  this  period,  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  di- 
verted the  attention  of  our  people  from  this  higher,  but,  as 
shown,  eminently  practical  form  of  divine  life.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  unhappy  conflict  within  our  Church  over  the 
secrecy  law  and  change  of  Constitution. 

But  through  both  these  agitations,  though  our  zeal  for  God 
abated,  yet  there  has  remained  a  mystic  element  in  the  thought 
and  life  of  our  Church,  as  evinced  by  the  books  of  this  char- 
acter kept  in  our  course  of  ministerial  study,  such  as  Upham's 
"Life  of  Faith,"  "Interior  Life,"  and  "Divine  Union,"  "The 
Imitation  of  Christ,"  "Holy  Living  and  Dying,"  and  Murray's 
and  Meyer's  books.  Further  evidence  of  this  divine  element 
in  our  Church  is  found  in  the  experience  and  lives  of  many 
who  have  passed  away,  and  of  others  now  living. 

Shall  we  cultivate  this  element  in  our  Church  life  and  doc- 
trines? Some  are  so  hasty  as  to  tell  us,  "This  doctrine  leads 
to  immortality."  Did  not  Saint  John,  Saint  Catherine  of 
Siena,  Madam  Guyon,  and  Otterbein  live  noble,  pure  lives? 
Others  tell  us  such  a  theory  "leads  only  to  spiritual  selfishness 


Bishop  Philip  Wii.liam  Uttekbein. 

The  onginul  painting  from  whicli  the  above  pictuiv  was  made,  is  in 
the  Metliodist  Hisiorieal  Rooms  in  Baltimore,  Md.  It  is  known  as  tlie  cap 
picture  of  Bishop  Otterl:»cin,  and  is  very  highly  prized  by  tiiem. 


Bishop  Martin  Boehm. 


<  2 


Mysticism  in  the  Origin  and  Growth  33 

and  indolence,  regarding  not  the  welfare  of  others."  Were 
Saint  Francis  of  Assisi,  Saint  Bernard,  Tauler,  and  Luther 
selfish  and  indolent  men  ? 

Tauler  put  social  service  on  its  true  basis.  "One  can  spin," 
he  says,  "another  can  make  shoes,  and  all  these  are  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  I  tell  you,  if  I  were  not  a  priest,  I  should 
esteem  it  a  great  gift  that  I  was  able  to  make  shoes,  and  I 
would  try  to  make  them  so  well  as  to  be  a  pattern  for  all."  The 
mystic  Boehm  was  a  most  industrious  shoemaker.  Still  others 
say,  "The  doctrine  necessarily  leads  to  fanaticism."  Was  Paul  a 
fanatic  when  he  said,  "I  no  longer  live,  but  Christ  lives  in  me," 
"For  me  to  live  is  Christ,"  or,  as  Luther  translated  it,  "Christ 
is  my  life"?  The  great  mystery  is,  "Christ  in  you  the  hope 
of  glory."  No  evangelical  mystic  uses  stronger  statements 
than  Paul  utters.  But  from  a  few  educated  men  comes  the 
final  objection,  "The  doctrine  is  a  favorite  with  ignorant  people, 
and  it  discourages  education."  Were  not  Clement,  Origen, 
Augustine,  the  Saint  Victors,  Eckart,  Tauler,  Luther,  Franke, 
Spener,  Wesley,  Zinzendorf,  Kothe,  Schleiermacher,  Edwards, 
and  Finney  educated  men  and  leading  educators  of  their  day  ? 
It  is  at  once  seen  that  these  objections  are  against  a  false  mys- 
ticism, and  have  no  force  against  the  true  one.  It  is  quite  easy 
for  the  mystic  to  refer  to  the  evils  of  dogmatism,  ecclesiasti- 
cism,  and  formalism,  and  insist  that  all  churches,  creeds,  and 
ceremonies  should  be  abandoned  because  of  their  abuses  by 
some  people.  The  false  mystic  and  the  formal  churchman  are 
equally  unwise  and  unsafe  leaders. 

Eather,  let  us  purify  this  subjective  element,  this  conscious 
experience  of  God  in  the  soul,  by  enlarging  our  knowledge  of 
the  objective  elements  of  religion  as  given  in  the  Bible,  in 
Christ,  in  the  experiences  of  other  Christians,  in  providence, 
and  in  nature.  Let  us  balance  the  rapturous  experience  of  the 
love  of  God  by  a  broader,  profounder  love  of  our  fellow-men. 
Let  us  accompany  our  consecration  to  God  by  the  devotion  of 
our  lives  to  the  welfare  of  men.  Let  us  unite  to  our  communion 
with  God  a  broad  fellowship  with  all  men.  Such  a  method 
means  for  our  preachers  and  laymen  and  our  Church  machinery 


34  A  Century 

— educational,  publishing,  missionary,  church-erection,  Sun- 
day-school, and  Young  People's  Christian  Union— to  be  filled 
with  God's  conscious  presence;  it  means  a  new  springtime  in 
our  history. 

The  world  has  been  passing  through  a  period  of  materialism, 
during  which  men  have  attempted  to  explain  all  things  on  the 
basis  of  matter.  Material  welfare  has  been  made  the  standard  of 
life.  A  reaction  has  set  in  towards  spiritual  goods  and  explana- 
tions of  life.  This  is  seen  (1)  in  the  springing  up  of  a  false 
mysticism  all  over  the  world,  which  simply  means  the  swing  of 
the  pendulum  in  this  reaction  to  the  opposite  extreme  from 
materialism.  These  manifestations  are:  A  revival  of  Bud- 
dhism, theosophy,  and  other  Oriental  occultisms,  spiritualism, 
Christian  Science,  astrology,  and  kindred  symptoms,  leading 
multitudes  away  from  the  truth  into  false  paths,  into  sandy 
deserts,  where,  in  the  end,  they  will  suffer  worse  than  the 
plagues  of  Egypt. 

(2)  There  is  a  revival,  also,  of  true  and  healthful  mysticism. 
It  is  seen  in  the  best  theological  literature  written  or  read  at 
this  time,  as  in  Germany,  Neander,  Tholuck,  Schleiermacker, 
Rothe,  Miiller,  Dorner,  and  a  revived  interest  in  the  older  Ger- 
man mystics;  in  Denmark,  Martensen;  in  Scotland,  Principal 
Caird,  Campbell,  and  Morgan;  in  England,  Browning,  Inge, 
Meyer,  Murray,  and  a  revived  interest  in  the  Cambridge  Pla- 
tonists  and  in  William  Law ;  in  our  country,  Professors  Fisher 
and  Harris,  Jonathan  Edwards,  Dr.  Schaff,  A.  T.  Pierson,  A.  J. 
Gordon,  and  D.  L.  Moody.  The  warm  life  of  the  Spirit  is  felt 
in  these  and  many  others  of  the  noblest  religious  writings  of 
the  past  and  present.  This  turning  of  Christian  people  towards 
a  deeper  spirituality  is  seen  also  in  the  increased  number  of 
books  published  relative  to  the  Holy  Spirit  and  his  mission,  and 
an  ever-increasing  anxiety  for  his  presence  and  power. 

(3)  The  concerts  of  prayer  now  held  in  many  places  in  Eng- 
land, Germany,  and  Holland,  and  in  our  own  country  are  most 
hopeful  omens  that  the  windows  of  heaven  are  about  to  be 
opened  and  great  spiritual  blessings  poured  out  upon  God's 
people. 


Mysticism  in  the  OHgin  and  Growth  35 

(4)  This  revival  is  also  evidenced  by  the  Keswick  movement 
in  England,  and  a  similar  one  in  Holland,  and  the  Moody 
schools  and  other  summer  schools  for  Bible  study  and  for  the 
culture  of  the  higher  life  in  this  country,  and  in  other  Chris- 
tian lands.  The  various  forms  of  false  mysticism  can  be  suc- 
cessfully met  only  by  an  increase  of  spiritual  life  in  the  Church. 
Multitudes  are  hungering  for  "the  Bread  of  Life."  To  offer 
them  from  the  pulpit  merely  literary  or  aesthetic  or  ethical  es- 
says is  to  give  them  a  stone  for  bread.  Nine-tenths  of  those 
who  come  to  church  come  to  get  impulse,  inspiration,  life.  Only 
life  can  impart  life;  only  divine  life  can  impart  divine  life. 
If  we  invite  the  people  to  a  feast,  and  then  set  before  them 
only  empty  dishes,  fine  linen,  and  beautiful  flowers,  they  will 
go  away  hungry,  and  probably  will  not  return.  A  mere  empty 
cup,  however  beautiful  and  costly,  will  not  satisfy  a  thirsty 
man.  "My  words  they  are  spirit  and  life."  Neander  said,  "The 
heart  makes  the  theologian."  It  surely  makes  a  large  element 
in  every  effective  preacher. 

Another  reason  why  we  should  encourage  and  cultivate  this 
fuller,  completer  life  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  bond  of  unity  between  Christians.  Christendom  will 
never  unite  on  doctrines  nor  ceremonials  nor  church  polities; 
but  all  may  have  the  conscious  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
causing  them  to  cry,  "Abba,  Father."  And  the  next  cry  will 
be,  "My  brother."  "When  the  Spirit  was  poured  out  at  Pente- 
cost he  was  not  only  a  great  power  in  believers,  but  he  was  also 
the  interpreter  and  bond  of  unity  in  them,  so  that  "they  all 
heard  the  wonderful  things  of  God  in  their  own  tongue,"  and 
"had  all  things  in  common."  A  great  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  become  the  bond  of  unity  in  the  modern  church  and  in 
the  modern  world.  In  the  apostolic  age,  there  was  a  Jewish- 
Christian  church  and  a  Gentile- Christian  church,  which 
threatened  to  divide  permanently  the  body  of  Christ.  Then 
came  John,  with  keener  intuition  and  broader  sympathy,  with 
not  less  intellect,  but  far  more  heart,  and,  by  his  interpreta- 
tion of  Christ  as  "Spirit,"  "Life,"  "Light,"  and  "Love,"  he 
united  the  two  elements  into  one  "glorious  church."     Saint 


36  A  Century 

John  still  tarries  for  the  coming  of  the  Master,  and  is  destined 
to  do  for  the  modern  church  and  the  world,  by  his  doctrine  of 
Icve,  what  he  did  for  the  apostolic  age.  Here  only  is  found 
the  spirit  of  unity  and  bond  of  peace  for  all  men. 

We  should  welcome  the  movement,  now  abroad  in  the 
churches,  for  the  life  more  abundant,  and  absorb  its  spirit  as 
our  true  tjpe  and  legitimate  heritage;  and,  both  in  our  inward 
and  outward  lives,  bear  its  beautiful  fruits,  and  make  the  con- 
sciousness of  salvation  to  the  uttermost  not  a  mere  luxurious 
enjoyment,  nor  a  selfish  isolation  from  the  sorrows  and  bur- 
dens of  life,  but  a  glorious  inspiration  to  wise  aggressiveness 
in  every  righteous  movement  for  individual  or  social  welfare, 
like  Saint  Paul,  and  a  tender  compassion  and  love  for  all  men, 
like  Saint  John.  We  shall  thus  show  to  the  world  that,  in 
the  experience  of  salvation,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female, 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  neither  bond  nor  free,  neither  rich  nor 
poor,  neither  learned  nor  unlearned,  but  all  are  one  in  Christ 
Jesus,  to  whom,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  glory 
to  the  age  of  ages. 


HISTOEIC  PLACES  AND  EPOCHS. 

Rev.  C.  I.  B.  Brane,  A.  M. 

Speaking  figuratively  respecting  my  personal  relation  to 
time,  I  may  say  that  I  now  live  on  the  western  side  of  life, 
and  from  this  on  the  shadows  will  lengthen  to  its  close;  but 
I  hopefully  embrace  the  outline  of  a  beautiful  sunset  with 
rare  tints  of  spiritual  promise  concerning  a  brighter  and  a 
better  day,  making  even  the  usually  "stormy"  banks  of  Jor- 
dan prospectively  calm  and  peaceful.  The  older  I  get  the 
more  I  enjoy  the  influences  of  the  home  circle;  and  the  longer 
I  live  the  more  affectionately  I  cling  to  the  scenes  and  asso- 
ciations of  my  childhood.  The  growing  influence  of  those 
early  instincts  will  never  allow  the  mere  passage  of  planets 
across  imaginary  lines  to  settle  for  me  the  question  of  age. 
Every  time  I  think  of  my  old  home,  nature  covers  my  heart 
and  life  with  spring  blossoms,  and  I  inhale  again  the  fresh- 
ness and  fragrance  of  those  exquisitely  bright  days  over  which 
rot  a  single  shadow  fell.  Every  time  I  set  my  feet  upon  the 
cobble-stone  pavement  of  this  old  town,  where  I  was  born 
fifty-two  years  ago,  gladness  comes  leaping  to  my  heart  and 
lips,  and  I  live  over  again  the  days  of  my  childhood — take  my 
old  place  in  an  unbroken  home  circle,  climb  the  hillside  for 
daisies,  romp  with  the  boys  on  the  old  playground,  and  recite 
my  Scripture  verses  in  Rockey  Springs  Sunday  school.  But, 
alas,  the  old  home  circle  is  badly  broken,  the  hills  I  love  most 
I  rarely  see,  the  boys  with  whom  I  played  have  nearly  all  quit 
the  stage;  and  about  all  I  have  left  of  those  hallowed  associa- 
tions are  these  sweet  memories,  and  the  precious  Scripture 
verses  I  recited  in  that  old  schoolhouse.  Under  the  spell  of 
this  tender  meditation  the  trend  of  my  thought  and  feeling 
is  to  poetry  rather  than  to  philosophy;  but  history,  to  which 
I  am  committed  for  twenty  minutes,  embodies  the  essence  of 
both. 

37 


38  A  Century 

With  me  it  is  a  pleasant  task  to  philosophize  on  history;  to 
recall  the  record  of  the  race,  or  of  the  nation,  or  of  the  church, 
or  of  the  individual,  and  reflect  upon  the  cause  and  character 
of  certain  events,  especially  those  for  which  I  have  a  personal 
relish — a  sort  of  sub-conscious  affinity — and  which  stand  out 
like  mountain-peaks  above  the  range  of  ordinary  affairs,  with 
the  light  of  increasing  day  streaming  over  them,  making  new 
and  more  interesting  revelations  concerning  their  nature  and 
meaning.  No  matter  from  what  point  of  view  we  make  or 
take  our  observations,  the  natural  longing  of  the  human  heart 
is  for  that  which  has  been,  for  what  might  have  been,  and  for 
that  which  shall  he.  This  triple  trend  of  thought  and  feeling 
may  symbolize  a  threefold  fact  in  human  experience,  namely, 
conscious  loss  and  desire  to  repair  it,  including  the  hope  of 
ultimate  perfection  in  the  life  to  come.  Our  longing  for  that 
which  has  been  may  have  remote  but  vital  connection  with 
the  state  of  perfect  goodness  and  satisfaction  in  which  man 
was  originally  created,  our  mournful  reflection  upon  what 
might  have  been  may  be  a  fragmentary  expression  of  regret 
over  the  calamitous  effects  of  the  fall,  and  our  ardent  antici- 
pations concerning  the  future  may  deeply  signify  our  struc- 
tural lien  on  immortality,  which  is  the  only  satisfactory  an- 
swer to  life's  withheld  completions.  At  any  rate,  there  is 
something  in  this  reminiscent  mood  that  sweetly  breaks  up 
the  monotony  of  life,  freshens  the  soul-tides  of  thought  and 
feeling,  and  opens  up  new  channels  for  mental  and  moral  in- 
spiration. Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  that  historic  meditation, 
based  upon  the  recorded  facts  of  the  ages,  affords  the  richest 
inspiration  that  comes  to  humanity  in  the  struggles  of  life, 
except  that  which  God  gives  more  directly  through  the  agency 
of  his  Word  and  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Historic 
imagination  brings  before  us  men  and  women  who  breathe  the 
breath  of  life,  though  they  have  been  under  the  sod  for  cen- 
turies. It  affords  vital  and  perpetual  contact  with  the  remote 
past — enables  one  to  look  through  the  eyes  of  a  proud  Koman, 
think  with  the  faculties  of  an  intellectual  Greek,  and  dream 
with  the  inspired  fancy  of  a  Hebrew  prophet.     On  the  high- 


Historic  Places  and  Epochs  39 

tide  of  such  inspired  reflection  the  soul  finds  the  sublime  in 
morals,  catches  the  heroism  of  a  holy  environment,  and  re- 
joices over  victories  achieved  by  good  men  in  perilous  sea- 
sons, or  under  circumstances  of  great  opposition. 

It  makes  a  man  the  embodiment  of  memories  which  mellow 
his  whole  being  into  a  fitness  divine,  and  crowns,  his  concep- 
tion of  human  life,  in  its  highest  range  of  possibilities,  with 
the  dignity  of  an  archangel. 

Under  the  spell  of  this  inspiration  we  feel  a  virtuous  pride 
in  our  spiritual  ancestors,  realizing  that  their  godly  examples 
are  a  blessing  to  us,  and  that  the  results  of  their  labors,  upon 
the  enjoyment  of  which  we  have  entered,  constitute  an  inheri- 
tance akin  to  that  which  is  "incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away."  Their  simple  faith,  and  labor  of  love,  and 
loyalty  to  Christ,  and  self-sacrificing  spirit,  and  soul-saving 
sermons,  have  crowded  this  historic  center  with  tender 
memories.  They  look  down  upon  us  from  yonder  stately 
steeple,  practically  built  by  him  against  whose  gracious  minis- 
try the  sexton  once  turned  the  key;  they  come  to  us  on  balmy 
southern  breezes  from  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  whose  dense 
forests  and  fertile  fields  and  growing  towns  and  villages  these 
godly  men  canvassed  for  souls  a  century  ago,  and  finally  had 
born  to  their  spiritual  fatherhood  Dr.  Senseny,  Peter  White- 
sel,  George  Huffman,  George  A.  Shuey,  the  eloquent  Mark- 
wood,  the  Ruebushes,  the  Howes,  the  Hotts,  and  the  Funk- 
housers;  they  touch  us  on  the  north  from  York,  and  Lancas- 
ter, and  Tulpehocken  and  Isaac  Long's  barn,  where  the  Mas- 
ter's prayer  for  the  oneness  of  his  people  was  answered  and 
touchingly  illustrated  when  the  great  evangelical  prophet  of 
Dillenburg  affectionately  fell  on  the  neck  of  the  humble  Men- 
nonite  and  tenderly  said,  "Wir  Sind  Bruder."  They  come  to 
us  on  musical  sound  waves  from  the  sweet  chimes  of  Cham- 
bersburg,  where  the  Wengers  and  the  Hubers  and  the  Hokes 
and  the  Appenzellars  and  the  Dicksons  were  brought  under  the 
spell  of  a  soul-saving  ministry  and  became  the  nucleus  of  a 
spiritual   plant  which  has   since   developed   into  the  largest 


40  A  Centurt/ 

membersliip  of  any  local  church  in  the  denomination;  they 
come  to  us  from  our  Metropolis  on  the  Patapsco,  where  the 
first  conference  was  held  in  1789,  in  Otterbein's  own  study; 
they  come  to  us  from  the  picturesque  Middletown  Valley,  just 
back  of  the  Catoctin,  where  lived  the  Kemsburgs,  the  Doubs, 
the  Hoovers,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Bowlus,  at  whose  home  the  con- 
ference of  1805  was  held,  and  that  revolutionary  hero.  Rev. 
Lawrence  Eberhardt,  who  rescued  Colonel  Washington  from 
the  clutches  of  the  British,  and  at  whose  home  the  conference 
of  1806  was  held;  they  come  to  us  from  the  historic  Antietam, 
whose  rippling  waters  perpetually  chant  an  appropriate  re- 
quiem for  the  fathers  who  sweetly  sleep  on  its  bank  at  old  Mt. 
Hebron,  where  the  Snavelys,  and  Bakers,  and  Wyands,  and 
Russels,  and  Deaners,  organized  the  spiritual  influence  of 
United  Brethrenism  and  built  the  first  church  owned  by  the 
denomination  in  1775 ;  they  come  to  us  in  the  early  utterance 
of  the  Mountain  Messenger,  the  first  periodical  published  in 
the  denomination,  from  Hagerstown,  where  Jacob  King, 
George  Martini,  John  Hershey,  and  John  Jacob  Glossbrenner 
were  born  into  the  kingdom  and  became  pillars  in  the  church, 
the  latter  one  of  the  sweetest  gospel  preachers  that  God  ever 
laid  his  hand  upon;  they  come  to  us  from  Mechanicstown, 
where  Jacob  Weller,  son  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  place, 
made  the  first  lucifer  matches  manufactured  in  America,  and 
opened  his  pioneer  home  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by 
Otterbein  and  his  associates,  and  became  the  leader  of  re- 
ligious thought  in  his  community;  and  from  Keysville,  where 
John  Snook  and  Francis  Scott  Key,  who  gave  us  our  "Star- 
Spangled  Banner,"  organized  the  first  Sunday  school  in  that 
community  and  held  prayer-meetings  together,  the  former  in 
charge  of  the  spiritual  features  of  the  work  while  the  latter 
led  the  singing.  Moreover,  these  memories  come  to  us  from 
the  high  ridges  and  wide  ranges  of  the  Alleghanies,  from  Bon- 
net's sehoolhouse,  where  the  first  General  Conference  was  held 
in  1815,  and  from  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  our  first  educational 
institution  was  located.     They  come  to  us  from  beyond  the 


Historic  Places  and  Epochs  41 

Ohio,  even  in  the  sweet  strains  of  that  song,  "Nelly  Gray," 
whose  popularity  is  wider  than  the  continent,  whose  words 
and  music  were  written  by  Bishop  Hanby's  bright,  sweet- 
spirited  boy  Ben,  and  which  went  hand  in  hand  with  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin"  in  doing  missionary  work  for  freedom.  They 
come  to  us  from  beyond  the  Mississippi,  from  beyond  the 
Kocky  Mountains,  and  from  the  utmost  ebb  of  the  Pacific's 
tide. 

As  to  the  homes  in  this  vicinity,  I  may  mention  those  of 
John  Cronise,  Peter  Shook,  Benjamin  Nidig,  John  Staley, 
Benjamin  Brane,  Henry  Kemp,  Peter  Kemp,  and  Valentine 
Doub.  These  men  and  their  associates  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord  have  long  since  quit  the  field  and  entered  upon  their  re- 
ward, but  the  contribution  they  made  to  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  humanity  remains  a  perpetual  benediction,  and  in  the  en- 
joyment of  that  inheritance  we  bless  God  to-day. 

On  a  certain  occasion  the  apostle  Paul,  in  setting  forth  the 
advantages  of  the  Hebrew  nation,  especially  the  spiritual  in- 
heritance which  had  fallen  to  them,  clinched  his  argument 
and  climaxed  his  description  of  their  peculiar  religious  bless- 
ings by  saying,  not  interrogatively,  but  in  the  form  of  a  posi- 
tive declaration,  "Whose  are  the  fathers,"  thereby  making  the 
privileges  derived  from  the  patriarchs  and  prophets,  from 
whom  Christ  himself  descended,  the  chief  glory  of  the  Jewish 
legacy.  He  practically  pointed  to  Abraham,  who  cleverly 
pioneered  that  favored  x>eople  into  a  large  place,  into  a  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey;  to  Moses,  whose  system  of 
law  still  dominates  the  legislation  of  the  civilized  world;  to 
David,  who  bore  the  twelve  tribes  into  loftier  relations  of 
national  harmony  and  divine  fellowship  on  the  wings  of  his 
spiritual  melodies;  to  Solomon,  who  crowned  the  material 
prosperity  of  his  remarkably  successful  administration  with 
the  erection  of  a  beautiful  house  of  worship  in  Jerusalem;  to 
the  old  prophet  of  Carmel,  who,  through  the  providential  min- 
istry of  birds  and  angels,  rescued  the  nation  from  Baalism  and 
brought  it  back  to  God;  to  Isaiah,  who  stirred  the  hearts  of  the 


42  A  Century 

people  throughout  the  realm  with  his  thrilling  visions  of  the 
coming  kingdom,  and  substantially  said,  "These  men  with  all 
the  benediction  of  their  holy  lives  and  labors,  belong  to  us." 

So  we  say  of  the  men  who  laid  the  foundations  of  our 
Church  life,  and  whose  godly  personalities  are  largely  em- 
bodied in  the  doctrines  we  preach  and  in  the  spirit  we  exem- 
plify. They  gave  character  and  complexion  to  the  various 
features  of  our  denominational  life,  including  our  fraternal 
spirit,  our  evangelistic  taste  and  talent,  our  missionary  zeal, 
our  educational  enterprise,  and  the  spiritual  simplicity  of  our 
services.  In  the  development  of  their  individual  lives,  bap- 
tized with  the  spirit  of  gospel  unity  and  love  for  souls,  they 
unconsciously  laid  the  lines  of  organized  church-life;  and 
when  the  conference  of  1800  convened,  a  thousand  influences 
and  associations  lifted  up  their  voices  unitedly  and  said, 
"Let  this  child  of  Providence  be  christened."  That  was  the 
voice  of  God.  He  spake,  and  it  was  done;  he  commanded,  and 
it  stood  fast.  The  conference  assumed  legislative  functions, 
organized  itself  and  its  adhering  membership  into  a  church, 
elected  bishops,  and  planned  otherwise  for  aggressive  work 
under  the  name  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  That  event 
divides  the  history  of  the  Church  into  two  epochs,  namely, 
the  formative  period,  beginning  with  the  enlargement  of  Ot- 
terbein's  spiritual  life  at  Lancaster,  which  straightway  and 
strangely  enough  became  a  matter  of  offense  to  many  of  his 
ministerial  brethren,  and  ending  with  the  conference  of  1800, 
at  which  point  the  period  of  development  began. 

At  Peter  Kemp's  the  formative  influences  reached  the 
"high-water"  mark  and  culminated  in  the  organized  life  of 
the  denomination.  Lancaster,  Frederick,  Baltimore,  and 
Isaac  Long's  barn  seem  to  be  more  vitally  associated  with  the 
first  epoch  of  our  history,  because  at  those  places  the  germinal 
forces  of  the  movement  took  on  new  life  and  distinctive 
features.  Historically  and  doctrinely  speaking,  Lancaster 
stands  for  "the  new  birth,"  for  there  the  witnessing  Spirit 
testified  to  the  sonship  of  our  imperial  leader,  and  made  him 


Historic  Places  and  Epochs  43 

the  conscious  recipient  of  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  In  the  enjoyment  of  that  blessed  assurance  he 
preached  the  doctrine  of  experimental  regeneration,  just  as 
Jesus  did  to  Nicodemus,  and  thus  made  it  one  of  the  funda- 
mental features  of  our  faith. 

Frederick  may  be  called  the  original  missionary  center  of 
the  movement,  for  at  this  place  God  greatly  blessed  the  labors 
of  our  leader,  not  only  in  the  development  of  the  spiritual 
and  material  resources  of  his  congregation,  but  also  in  his 
soul-seeking  excursions  through  other  sections.  In  every  di- 
rection, and  for  miles  around,  he  generously  gave  his  per- 
sonal ministry  to  "the  region  beyond,"  preaching  sometimes 
both  day  and  night,  and  that  from  Sunday  to  Sunday.  In 
doing  so  he  found  opportunity  to  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  in  his 
associates,  and  thus  develop  and  utilize  their  various  resources 
to  the  enlargement  of  this  great  movement.  The  unspiritual 
opposition  he  encountered  only  served  to  emphasize  the  im- 
perative need  of  a  soul-saving  ministry,  and  led  him  to  extend 
his  personal  influence  more  v^idely  in  that  direction,  recog- 
nizing as  competent  coworkers  those  whom  God  raised  up 
from  among  the  many  who  were  given  as  seals  to  his  minis- 
try. In  this  way  the  duplicate  of  his  godly  personality  was 
multiplied  many  times,  and  the  foundations  of  our  denomina- 
tional life  were  unconsciously  laid,  the  spiritual  lines  con- 
verging on  Calvary,  and  the  ecclesiastical  influences  in  the 
direction  of  Peter  Kemp's  home. 

But  our  denominational  Pentecost  occurred  at  Isaac  Long's, 
near  Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  1767.  The  meeting  was  appropriately 
held  on  Witsuntide,  and  the  gathering  of  the  people  and  the 
character  of  the  services  were  distinctively  Pentecostal. 

People  of  high  and  low  degree,  and  representing  almost 
every  phase  of  belief  known  to  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
came  from  far  and  near,  and  sat  under  the  spell  of  gospel 
unity  in  Isaac  Long's  barn,  or  else  in  the  overflow  meeting  in 
the  orchard,  where  some  minister  from  Virginia  preached  the 
word.     Martin  Boehm  was  the  Peter  of  that  occasion,  and 


44  A  Century 

preached  with  such  unction  and  power  that  souls  were  swayed 
like  trees  in  the  grasp  of  a  mighty  tempest ;  and  when  the  ser- 
mon closed  on  the  high  tide  of  spiritual  peace  and  power,  Ot- 
terbein  threw  his  arms  about  the  preacher  before  he  had  time 
to  resume  his  seat,  and  tenderly  said,  "We  are  brethren." 
Scores  of  souls  were  saved  that  day,  and  hundreds  wept  for 
joy  and  praised  God  aloud.  It  was  the  most  widely  influential 
meeting  that  had  yet  been  held;  and  before  the  leaders  sepa- 
rated they  agreed  upon  a  basis  of  doctrinal  harmony  and  mu- 
tual cooperation,  and  planned  for  more  aggressive  work  in 
Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania. 

Baltimore  may  be  regarded  as  the  focal  center  of  the  move- 
ment from  1775  to  1800.  When  Otterbein  organized  an  inde- 
pendent congregation  in  that  city  it  meant  ecclesiastical  sepa- 
ration for  him  and  his  associates  from  the  several  churches 
to  which  they  belonged,  as  well  as  a  completer  consecration  to 
the  great  revival  movement  upon  which  they  then  entered 
more  unitedly.  Speaking  diplomatically,  it  was  the  point 
from  which  the  leaders  planned  for  the  welfare  of  the  work 
already  established,  and  also  for  its  enlargement  in  the  out- 
lying districts,  and  thus  pushed  the  battle  to  the  close  of  the 
century. 

The  "Antietam  appointment"  stands  for  "home  and  hospi- 
tality." Here  Otterbein  began  preaching  during  his  pastorate 
at  Frederick,  and  won  hundreds  of  souls  as  seals  to  his  min- 
istry; and  to  the  Christian  homes  of  that  community  he  con- 
tinued his  visits  as  long  as  he  was  physically  able  to  leave 
Baltimore,  covering  a  period  of  about  thirty  years.  The  his- 
torian says  that  "No  spot  on  earth  became  dearer  to  him  than 
Antietam."  This  place  was  his  headquarters  while  out  of 
the  city;  and  into  the  Guething,  Snavely,  Baker,  Russel,  and 
Deaner  homes,  big  with  hospitality,  bright  with  social  sun- 
shine, and  sweet  with  spiritual  flavor,  he  frequently  repaired 
for  physical  and  mental  rest.  Especially  after  the  death  of 
his  young  wife,  it  is  traditionally  intimated,  did  he  enjoy  the 
sacred  home  influences  of  the  Antietam.     His  fondness  for 


Historic  Places  and  Epochs  45 

that  place  always  makes  me  think  of  the  Master's  visits  to 
Bethany,  and  also  Dr.  Morris's  "Memories  of  Galilee." 

"Each  cooing  dove  and  sighing  bough 
That  makes  the  eve  so  blest  to  me, 
Has  something  far  diviner  now — 
It  bears  me  back  to  Galilee." 

Hagerstown  was  the  earliest  embodiment  of  pioneer  enter- 
prise in  the  history  of  the  denomination,  and  therefore  stands 
for  progress  and  development  in  every  department  of  church 
life  and  labor,  spiritually  and  materially.  In  this  relation  to 
the  work  of  the  Church  it  stands  in  the  foreground  of  our 
evolutionary  epoch,  and  began  by  building  a  house  of  worship 
in  1805,  not  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  but  in  the  very 
center  of  the  town;  and  to-day  that  original  society  is  large 
and  influential,  and  worships  in  a  beautiful  modern  church. 
Some  of  the  charter  members  of  that  society  were  John  Her- 
shey,  George  Martini,  Jacob  King,  and  Brother  Middlekauf. 
The  first  two  were  prominent  in  business  circles.  John  Her- 
shey  was  mayor  of  the  town  several  years,  and  was  one  of  the 
chief  promoters  of  the  old  Hagerstown  bank;  and  in  1824  he 
was  chairman  of  a  committee  of  one  hundred  to  receive  and 
entertain  General  Lafayette,  who  visited  Hagerstown  in  that 
year.  It  was  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  the  leading  lay- 
men at  Hagerstown  that  the  first  Preachers'  Aid  Society  of  the 
Church  was  organized  in  that  place  in  1822.  George  Martini 
was  one  of  its  directors,  and  John  Hershey  was  its  treasurer 
for  many  years.  Its  constitution  was  printed  in  Hagerstown 
in  German  and  English  by  John  Gruber  for  $9.  The  first 
conference  organized  was  called  "the  Hagerstown  Confer- 
ence," and  the  first  hjTun-book  authorized  by  the  Church  was 
compiled  by  the  pastor  of  that  congregation  and  published 
there  in  1808.  On  the  27th  of  June,  1834,  the  prospectus  of 
the  first  successful  journalistic  enterprise  in  the  denomination 
made  its  appearance  under  the  management  of  Rev.  William 
E.  Rhinehart.    It  was  called  the  Mountain  Messenger,  and  was 


46  A  Ce7itufy 

subsequently  transferred,  body  and  soul,  (I  mean  editor,  press, 
and  entire  equipment,)  to  Circleville,  Ohio,  where  it  appeared 
under  the  auspices  of  the  General  Conference  as  the  Religious 
Telescope,  and  now  has  a  circulation  of  over  20,000.  Thomas 
Mittag,  one  of  the  first  and  most  skillful  printers  of  Hagers- 
town,  whom  I  knew  well,  and  finally  officiated  at  his  funeral  in 
1890,  told  me  that  he  got  out  the  prospectus  and  "set  up"  every 
subsequent  number  of  the  Mountain  Messenger. 

Last,  but  not  least,  I  mention  the  home  of  Peter  Kemp, 
which  belongs  to  both  epochs  of  our  history,  and  may  be  called 
the  Bethlehem  of  our  denomination.  It  is  the  most  dis- 
tinctively historic  home  in  our  catplogue.  Here  the  Church 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  was  born ;  and  from  1790  to 
1830,  according  to  the  written  record,  it  was  the  center  of 
home  and  sanctuary  influences  for  our  people.  Here  the 
gracious  ministry  of  godly  men  was  blessed  to  the  saving  of 
many  souls.  Great  meetings  were  held  at  Peter  Kemp's,  and 
distinguished  ministers  of  different  denominations  broke  the 
bread  of  life  to  the  perishing,  while  the  shouts  of  happy  saints 
and  new-born  souls  rose  to  mingle  with  the  higher  notes  of  re- 
joicing angels  in  the  upper  sanctuary.  Among  the  hundreds 
who  ministered  publicly  in  that  place  I  may  mention  Bishops 
Otterbein,  Newcomer,  Boehm,  and  Asbury,  and  Eevs.  Gueth- 
ing,  Schaffer,  Bowlus,  and  Lorenzo  Dow.  In  that  first  con- 
ference of  1800  with  fourteen  members,  there  were  no  literary 
lights,  and  but  one  distinguished  theologian;  but  they  were 
intelligent,  pious  men,  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  apt 
to  teach  and  anxious  to  save  souls,  the  crown  princes  of  God. 
They  found  the  fields  white  already  to  harvest,  and,  as  much 
precious  grain  had  now  been  gathered,  in  order  that  the  out- 
standing sheaves  and  shocks  might  find  shelter,  they  organized 
the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  As  Dr.  Pier- 
son  says,  "We  can  understand  human  history  aright  only  as 
we  come  to  know  that  it  is  His  story."  I  see  his  hand  in  the 
origin  and  organization  of  our  Church,  in  the  preservation 
and  development  of  its  spirituality,  in  the  evolution  and  mul- 


Historic  Places  and  Epochs  47 

tiplication  of  those  pure  and  happy  lives  which  constitute  its 
membership,  and  in  the  hopeful  outlook  with  which  we  enter 
upon  the  second  century  of  our  life  and  labor. 

Instead  of  being  a  split  or  splinter  from  some  other  de- 
nomination, riven  and  wrested  from  its  rightful  relation  by 
eternal  strife  and  contention,  as  has  been  the  case  in  too  many 
instances,  she  came  forth  like  her  Master,  in  the  spirit  of 
seeking,  saving  love,  and  even  "as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground, 
without  form  and  comeliness,"  so  barren  seemed  the  soil  and 
itterly  unpromising  the  circumstances  of  her  origin  and  or- 
ganization. But  secretly  and  silently  she  grew  from  that 
ancient  and  invincible  stock  whence  all  true  believers  get 
their  spiritual  life  and  power,  and  are  thereby  placed  in  the 
line  of  promotion,  not  to  worldly  fame  or  honor,  but  to  eternal 
life  and  glory.  The  conference  of  1800  was  composed  of  four- 
teen members,  one-third  of  whom  had  been  reared  under  as 
many  different  religious  influences;  but  for  years  they  had 
been  working  together  for  souls  independent  of  ecclesiastical 
influences,  and  without  organizing  their  numerous  converts 
into  societies,  which  shows  that  they  had  no  thought  of  es- 
tablishing a  new  church.  From  1780  to  1825  United  Brethren 
ministers  canvassed  this  lovely  valley  for  souls;  and  in  many 
of  its  towns  and  villages,  even  where  the  church  is  unknown 
to-day,  they  were  the  first  to  break  the  bread  of  life  to  the 
perishing.  Their  long  rides  and  toilsome  labors  and  gracious 
services  are  now  over,  and  to  each  and  to  all  the  Master  has 
said,  "Well  done."  Life  is  the  day  for  toil,  death  is  the  night 
for  repose;  life  is  the  dusty  march  and  the  stormy  battle, 
death  is  the  warrior^s  welcome  home.  "Jesus,  Jesus,"  said  the 
dying  Otterbein,  "I  die,  but  thou  livest,  and  soon  I  shall  live 
with  thee.  The  conflict  is  over  and  past.  I  begin  to  feel  an 
unspeakable  fullness  of  love  and  i)eace  divine.  Lay  my  head 
upon  my  pillow  and  be  still."  With  these  sweet  words  he  fell 
asleep.  Peace  to  his  ashes !  Blessed  be  his  memory.  Thank 
God  and  the  Church  for  such  men ! 


ft  5! 


ii 


o  ^ 
B  o 


1,^      ^ 

Wc"^ 

^1 

'Tp,    *"" 

<...;     ^iH^^^^'-                 -   -*- 

■1     i 

PART  II 


CHURCH  EVANGELISM  AND  EXTENSION. 


THE  HEEOISM  OE  OUK  FATHERS. 
Bishop  J.  W.  Hott,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

The  world  has  often  looked  a  hundred  years  upon  the  half- 
neglected  tomb  of  the  hero  before  awaking  to  the  conscious- 
ness that  he  was  inspired  of  God. 

After  the  folding  up  of  the  hours  of  a  century  of  illustrious 
struggle  and  commendable  progress  a  Christian  denomination 
does  well  to  summon  itself  to  a  just  appreciation  of  the 
agencies  which  the  Almighty  raised  up  a  while  ago  for  the 
building  of  the  walls  of  his  spiritual  kingdom.  To  do  so  is 
to  honor  God.  It  is  to  know  his  ways  better.  It  is  also  to  be 
more  largely  equipped  for  the  tasks  of  the  century  to  come. 

"Our  fathers,"  you  ask,  "who  were  they?"  We  speak  of 
the  providential  builders  of  our  Zion  in  all  its  borders.  "Our 
fathers,"  do  you  ask,  "where  are  they?"  They,  for  the  most 
part,  are  housed  in  the  King's  palace  of  many  mansions.  They 
heed  not  and  need  not  the  praises  of  men.  The  good  have  a 
twofold  immortality.  In  the  one  they  live  with  God  yonder; 
in  the  other,  men  live  with  them  here.  We  tell  over  the  story 
and  heroism  of  their  lives  once  lived  in  the  flesh. 

Our  fathers  deserve  to  live  in  hallowed  memory  forever. 
They  live  in  example  and  influence.  None  may  take  that  life 
from  the  earth.  They  abide  with  us  in  the  institutions  they 
founded.  The  fires  they  kindled  may  not  be  quenched;  the 
currents  they  set  flowing  through  human  ties  can  no  more  dry 

4  49 


50  A  Century 

up.  The  voices  of  the  angels  of  good  which  they  chimed  out 
of  the  sweet  heavens  can  no  being  hush.  They  sing  in  the 
night. 

As  we  are  gathered  in  this  Centennial  Conference  there 
rises  before  us  the  form  of  an  illustrious  heroism.  Its  hal- 
lowed spirit  kisses  us  on  every  side. 

The  hosts  assembled  in  this  historic  conference  have  come 
from  many  lands.  Some  are  from  the  soil  of  the  sunny 
South,  some  from  the  stormy,  sturdy  north,  and  from  the 
dominion  beyond  the  St.  Lawrence.  Here  they  hail  from  the 
great  Eastern  and  Central  States  of  our  country.  Some  are 
from  the  lands  of  boundless  and  fertile  prairies  and  from  the 
valleys  along  the  Wabash,  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Missouri. 
They  are  here  whose  feet  come  from  the  slopes  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  where  God  puts  on  his  gorgeous  robes  of  beauty. 
They  are  here  from  the  valleys  that  slope  down  to  the  Golden 
Gate  hard  by  the  wet  sea,  and  from  the  valleys  where  roll  the 
Columbia,  and  the  Willamette  and  the  Oregon.  We  greet 
others  from  beyond  the  wide,  deep  ocean — from  the  land  of 
Otterbein  where  flows  the  classic  Rhine;  from  "dark  Africa" 
where  bleeds  the  "open  sore  of  the  world,"  Africa,  made  so 
cruel  to  us  forever  by  the  martyred  blood  of  Rev.  I.  N.  Cain, 
a  member  of  our  General  Conference  four  years  ago,  who,  with 
his  six  associates,  passed  to  their  coronation  through  that  bap- 
tism of  blood  in  the  tragedy  of  May,  1898. 

Let  us  remember  that  to  these  lands,  from  which  we  have 
just  come  with  lightning  speed,  our  fathers  once  went  with  the 
slow  tread  of  a  droning  civilization.  The  quickened  tramp 
of  our  coming  is  only  the  echo  of  the  foot-tread  of  the  fathers 
whose  "line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their  words 
to  the  end  of  the  world." 

In  this  hath  God  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  United  Brethren 
Church  "which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 
and  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  his  course." 

As  this  august  assembly  was  being  gathered  there  arose  be- 
fore me  another  scene.    I  looked  upon  it  through  the  shining 


The  Heroism  of  Our  Fathers  51 

of  more  than  thirty-six  thousand  noon-day  suns.  About  it 
hung  the  curtain  of  more  than  five  thousand  holy  Sabbaths. 
It  was  the  first  opening  forth  of  the  century  plant  we  see 
blooming  to-day.  It  was  the  coming  of  the  fathers  for  the 
conference  at  Peter  Kemp's  a  hundred  years  ago. 

"Father  Otterbein"  rode  reverently  through  Fredericktown, 
coming  from  Baltimore,  welcomed  in  love  by  all  as  Elijah 
among  the  prophets.  Boehm  came  down  from  Pennsylvania 
accompanied  by  his  son,  Henry.  Newcomer,  a  tall,  mighty 
frame,  rode  down  on  horseback  from  Washington  County. 
Ten  other  chosen  men  of  God  came  from  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 
land, and  Virginia.  That  conference  was  a  cloud  the  size  of 
a  man's  hand,  appearing  in  the  morning  sky  of  the  nineteenth 
century  which  was  to  empty  itself  in  refreshing  rains  upon 
the  widening  fields  where  grow  God's  boundless  harvests  to  the 
end  of  time. 

These  fathers  prayed  and  exhorted  and  testified  of  the  grace 
of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  So  absorbed  were  they  in 
heavenly  things  that  the  secretary  forgot  to  record  in  the 
minutes  that  they  named  the  church  God  had  made  "United 
Brethren  in  Christ,"  and  so  filled  were  they  with  the  thought 
and  sense  of  God's  leadership  that  the  secretary  omitted  to 
record  the  fact  that  Otterbein  and  Boehm  were  elected 
Bishops.    These  two  omissions  tell  a  story  that  charms  us. 

"There  were  giants  in  those  days."  Then  genius  carved  out 
of  their  heritage  of  forest  a  temple  of  imperishable  fame. 
They  were  plain  men,  stalwart  sons  of  nature,  mighty  in  holy 
deeds. 

Otterbein  alone  was  what  many  in  our  day  would  call 
learned.  But  he,  praise  God,  had  overcome  the  "advantages" 
of  a  scholastic  education  in  Germany.  He  had  been  planted 
in  this  new  soil  where  American  manhood  grows.  He  knew 
enough  of  the  world's  needs  and  of  nature  in  its  native  power 
to  hug  to  the  bosom  of  his  holiest  love,  men  who  were  taught 
of  nature  and  of  God.  He  knew  the  value  of  a  man  who  had 
learned   what   men    were   by   being   with   men,    and   who   had 


52  A  Century 

learned  what  God  was  by  having  been  with  God.  These  men, 
with  Otterbein,  were  many  great  minds  and  royal  hearts. 
They  had  not  learned  second  hand  from  books.  They  had 
wisdom  at  first  hands.  They  got  it  from  nature  and  from 
God.  There  were  few  books  then.  There  were  more  think- 
ers. We  do  well  to  kneel  at  the  same  fountain  once  and 
again. 

The  heroism  of  our  fathers  is  shown  us  in : 

I.  The  splendid  work  they  wrought,  the  creation  of  their 
genius. 

This  address  does  not  enter  the  inviting  charming  field  of 
living  history.  It  may  glance  only  at  one  or  two  abiding  mon- 
uments the  heroes  builded: 

1.  They  gave  the  world  a  spiritual  Church.  They  be- 
queathed us  a  Church  doctrinally  free  from  sacerdotalism, 
and  in  worship  free  from  dependence  upon  ceremonies  and 
forms.  They  founded  a  Church  which  recognized  the  sover- 
eignty of  God  and  the  sovereignty  of  man.  Their  first  creed 
was  John  3 :  3.  They  wrought  into  the  very  fiber  of  the  or- 
ganization, spiritual  communion  with  God,  and  holy  fellow- 
ship with  one  another. 

2.  They  created  an  evangelical  Church.  They  had  the 
piety  of  an  a  Kempis  without  his  asceticism.  There  was  not 
the  piety  of  the  cloister  and  the  hermit.  Their  communion 
with  God  made  them  more  intense  lovers  of  men.  Their 
knowledge  of  the  richness  of  grace  gave  them  a  burning  sym- 
pathy with  the  needs  of  their  fellows.  They  did  not  shrink 
from  the  world.  Spiritually  minded  and  holy  hearted,  they 
hated  sin  in  the  world  and  in  men.  The  early  fathers  had 
this  side  the  throne  of  God  no  stationing  committee  to  ap- 
point them.  They  depended  on  none.  They  needed  none  in 
those  days.  They  had  no  presiding  elder  to  direct  them. 
There  was  no  church  to  welcome  them  and  plan  a  reception 
and  donation.  They  had  an  open  field,  no  highway,  no  hedge, 
no  fingerboard.    None  had  gone  before  them.     They  followed 


The  Heroism  of  Our  Fathers  63 

ocly  God.  Men  and  women  who  had  not  before  heard  of  the 
spiritual  life  and  assurance  of  the  love  of  God,  cried  out  "/c/t 
hin  verloren"  and  were  pointed  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  tak- 
eth  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

3.  They  founded  a  Church  that  could  grow.  It  could  as- 
similate a  language  not  its  founders'.  It  could  grow  into  the 
English  language  and  yet  keep  its  German  heart  and  its  ex- 
alted German  type  and  piety. 

It  could  grow  out  of  its  old  forms  and  limitations  into 
broader  and  higher  reaches  of  faith  and  carry  with  it  all  love 
for  the  honored  symbols  given  it  by  the  fathers.  It  could, 
without  friction  or  the  loss  of  a  single  element,  adopt  all  the 
organizations  of  a  great,  aggressive  church. 

4.  With  these  three  elements  the  fathers  followed  the  laws 
of  growth  and  constant  expansion.  Societies  were  organized 
in  private  houses,  schoolhouses,  groves,  barns,  and  mills. 
Churches  rose  in  their  wake.  Follow  them  through  the  slow 
century,  southward  up  the  Shenandoah,  later  to  Tennessee,  into 
western  Virginia  and  western  Pennsylvania,  and  into  Ontario ; 
across  the  Ohio  into  the  valley  of  the  Muskingum  and  the 
Scioto  and  the  Sandusky  and  the  Miami  into  the  black 
swamps;  then  along  the  Wabash  into  Indiana  and  Illinois,  on 
to  Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Nebraska,  Minnesota,  Wis- 
consin, and  Colorado.  Bands  of  men  and  women,  by  slow 
caravan  travel,  took  their  solitary  way  across  the  plains  and 
mountains,  and  planted  the  United  Brethren  Church  in  the 
Willamette  Valley  in  Oregon,  and  the  Sacramento  Valley  in 
California,  and  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  in  Washington. 
Even  now  there  comes  to  us  a  feeling  of  homesickness  as  we 
think  of  the  loneliness  and  solitudes  and  privations  through 
which  these  heroes  passed.  Out  of  a  life  of  beauty  and 
grandeur,  the  pathos  and  heroism  of  which  we  cannot  ade- 
quately conceive,  these  fathers  have  passed  to  a  laraer  life 
immortal,  leaving  the  glorious  church  of  our  fathers  flourish- 
ijig  as  an  olive-tree  in  gardens  where  they  once  toiled  in  the 
desert  alone. 


54  A  Century 

■   II.     The  difficulties  they  encountered. 

No  community  or  creed  endures,  the  foundation  stones  of 
which  were  not  laid  in  sweat  and  blood.  When  Dober  and 
Leopold,  the  first  missionaries  of  the  Moravian  brethren,  went 
out  from  Hurnhut,  then  a  colony  of  six  hundred  poor  exiles 
sheltered  from  persecution  by  Count  Zinzendorf,  they  said 
publicly  that  they  were  willing  to  go  to  St.  Thomas  and  sell 
themselves  as  slaves,  in  order  that  they  might  have  the  op- 
portunity of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  negroes.  Out  of  such 
heroism  grew  the  world-famed  missionary  work  of  the  Morav- 
ian Church. 

We  cannot  now  easily  understand  the  conditions  and  con- 
flicts of  our  fathers.  A  few  of  these  difficulties  may  be  sum- 
moned before  us: 

1.  The  pains  of  separation  from  former  church  fellowship. 
It  has  often  been  said  that  Ott^rbein  and  his  associates  did 
rot  intend  to  found  a  new  denomination.  Why  should  they? 
Were  they  not  distinguished  members  of  churches  already 
hoary  with  honor?  Were  not  these  churches  the  conservators 
of  great  doctrinal  truth?  They  were  the  products  of  the 
great  Eeformations,  to  which  they  stood  a  hundred  years 
rearer  than  we  of  to-day.  They  held  higher  church  ideas 
than  we.  In  our  present  condition,  with  western  ideas,  church 
bonds  are  not  held  so  sacred  as  they  were  in  these  parts  a  cen- 
tury ago  in  the  old  churches.  Church  bonds  in  those  days 
were  made  of  steel  and  garnished  with  gold.  They  were  the 
churches  of  ancestors  that  held  the  faith  and  fellowship  of  the 
fathers.  In  these  churches  they  had  been  nurtured,  and  they 
l(.ved  them  to  the  last.  It  is  no  wonder  that  Otterbein,  though 
long  pastor  of  an  indei)endent  church  and  Bishop  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  like  the  immortal  Wesley,  never 
separated  himself  from  the  church  of  his  father  and  mother. 
Others  held  to  their  old  fellowship  until  they  were  expelled 
because  of  their  zeal  in  their  new  experience  and  faith.  Others 
tearfully  let  drop  and  die  their  old  church  relations  and  clung 
to  the  new  organization  as  it  slowly  rose  into  being.    Converts 


The  Heroism  of  Our  Fathers  55 

under  the  ministry  of  the  fathers  entered  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  leaving  behind  father  and  mother  to  follow  them 
later,  or  to  love  them  and  bless  them  while  they  always  re- 
mained where  they  were,  or  perchance,  to  disown  and  disin- 
herit their  children.  In  any  case,  the  task  of  our  fathers  in 
assuming  new  church  relations,  at  the  cost  of  the  abandon- 
rcent  of  the  old,  was  a  heroic  one.  It  had  a  melancholy  aspect 
we  can  only  half  comprehend. 

2.  The  'power  of  formalism  entrenched  in  strong  and  state- 
ly churches.  It  is  a  task  to  go  against  tide  and  wind  in  spirit- 
ual and  ecclesiastical  matters.  The  hero  has  not  been  found 
who  can  row  up  Niagara.  It  requires  a  creature  of  heavenly 
plumage. 

Historians  on  all  hands  concede  the  destitution  of  spiritual 
life  and  power  a  century  ago  in  the  churches.  The  formalism 
of  religion  and  churchliness  grew  colder  still  in  this  Ameri- 
can soil.  Spiritual  power  is  always  in  the  inverse  ratio  to 
formalism  and  ceremony.    "The  letter  killeth." 

It  required  a  sharp  spiritual  blade,  tempered  with  love,  to 
cut  ecclesiastical  ice.  Our  fathers  builded  a  warm-hearted, 
spiritual  Church  in  the  close  of  what  we  may  call  the  glacial 
period  of  American  churches.  In  these  surroundings  they 
were  neither  formalists  nor  fanatics.  A  grander,  steadier, 
purer,  more  heroic  spiritual  current  of  effort  among  the 
masses,  made  by  men  of  God,  from  the  days  of  Otterbein 
down  to  the  times  of  our  fathers,  some  of  whom  yet  linger  with 
us,  has  not  been  witnessed  in  this  eventful  century.  The 
fathers  kept  the  Church  free  from  cant  and  fanaticism  on  the 
one  hand,  and  formalism  and  the  chill  of  doubt  on  the  other. 
They  had  the  heroism  of  lofty  spiritual  impressions  and  con- 
victions. 

3.  They  wrought  with  no  church  support  to  sustain  them. 
There  was  no  Church-Erection  or  Missionary  Society  or  Pub- 
lishing House  behind  them  to  inspire  them.  They  had  no 
church  history  behind  them  to  ennoble  their  standing  before 
the  public.     There  had  gone  before  them  no  fathers  whose 


56  A  Century 

footsteps  were  warm  with  the  pressure  of  a  holy  zeal.  The 
preacher  went  out  alone.  He  was  carving  his  way  through 
thick  darkness.  He  was  treading  a  pathless  wilderness.  He 
was  climbing  unsealed  mountains  and  fording  unbridged  and 
uncrossed  streams.  He  dwelt  and  toiled  in  the  solitudes.  He 
sung  a  new  song  in  a  strange  land.  His  prayers  were  offered 
from  an  altar  of  new  stones.    This  is  like  a  dream  to  us. 

I  wish  I  could  experience  for  one-half  hour  the  emotions  of 
Bishop  Otterbein  as  he  rode  through  this  city  out  to  Peter 
Kemp's  to  the  conference  of  1800.  I  wish  that  my  soul  might 
thrill  with  the  sensations  that  stirred  his  great  nature  as  he 
opened  that  conference  with  prayer  and  exhortation.  What 
would  we  not  give  to  have  live  in  us  for  one  hour  the  feelings 
of  Bishop  Newcomer  as  he  knelt  on  the  summit  of  the  Alle- 
ghany mountains  beside  the  stone  altar  he  had  reared,  and, 
Jacob-like,  saw  the  angels  of  God  going  up  and  coming  down 
before  him,  then  reverently  rose  and  took  his  lonely  way  to 
the  opening  fields  of  God  in  Ohio.  What  a  figure  he  was  as 
he  knelt  alone  on  the  banks  of  a  swollen  stream  in  Central 
Ohio  and  thanked  God  with  all  his  soul  for  delivering  him 
safely  across!  Behind  the  fathers  were  spiritual  power  and 
God;  before  them  wilderness  and  hope.  It  is  a  manly  man 
that  walks  undaunted  in  the  darkness.  Our  fathers  walked 
and  worked  in  the  shadows,  shadows  of  the  early  morning, 
fixed  their  eyes  on  the  cross  and  the  coming  day,  and  made  a 
Church  for  themselves  and  their  little  ones. 

4.  Inventions  and  progress  had  not  then  vanquished  the 
natural  difficulties  of  a  new  country.  No  telephone,  tele- 
graph, railway  car,  or  public  improvements  were  at  hand  a 
century  ago.  Hills  and  valleys,  fertile  as  a  garden  of  God, 
bursting  the  soil  with  their  fullness,  invited  homes  and  barns. 
A  sturdy  people  tilled  the  soil  hand  to  hand,  and  hand  to  hand 
reaped  the  grain  and  gathered  it  into  the  barns.  The  vast 
domain  of  our  country  yet  lay  unsubdued  to  husbandry. 
Where  we  have  highways  studded  with  palatial  homes  and 
plentiful   barns,    schoolhouses,   and   churches,   there   was   un- 


The  Heroism  of  Our  Fathers  57 

trodden  desert.  Where  we  have  the  long  lines  of  railway, 
with  the  towns  and  stations  of  trade,  was  lonely  wilderness. 
Where  our  splendid  cities  now  laugh  in  the  summer  sun  and 
send  their  shouts  up  to  heaven,  and  their  heart-throb  around 
the  world,  there  were  prairies  for  the  wild  buffalo  herd  or  for- 
ests for  the  gentler  beasts  and  wilder  redskins.  To  Otterbein, 
America  was  one  vast  mission  field.  To  those  who  came  after 
him  there  arose  a  vision  of  the  lands  beyond  the  Ohio  and 
the  Wabash,  and  then  the  new  world  beyond  the  "Father  of 
Waters."  Into  these  domains  our  fathers  thrust  themselves 
with  undaunted  faith  and  courage.  Gathering  up  all  there 
was  of  them,  they  flung  themselves  against  the  currents  of  evil 
in  their  new  conditions.  They  caught  from  heaven,  by  a 
matchless  and  holy  genius,  new  spiritual  conditions  which 
they  wove  around  society.  They  made  a  new  family  life  in 
many  a  home.  They  created  new  communities  by  organizing 
Christian  societies.  They  builded  churches,  founded  institu- 
tions of  learning,  and  planted  the  printing-press.  They  "sub- 
dued kingdoms  and  wrought  righteousness,  obtained  promises, 
stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched  the  power  of  fire,  es- 
caped the  edge  of  the  sword,  from  weakness  were  made  strong, 
waxed  mighty  in  war,  turned  to  flight  armies  of  aliens  of 
v/hom  the  world  was  not  worthy." 

III.     The  spirit  of  their  consecration. 

The  fathers  were  not  inspired  by  ecclesiastical  ambitions. 
There  is  an  enthusiasm  kindled  by  church  pride.  It  was  un- 
known to  them.  There  is  a  contention  for  church  creeds  that 
has  all  the  fervor  and  fire  of  men  contending  for  the  truth. 
Our  fathers  asked  only  for  a  simple  creed,  enough  to  tell  the 
world  their  orthodoxy.  They  used  the  Bible  and  followed  the 
Holy  Spirit.  There  is  an  enthusiasm  that  kindles  from  the 
heart-throb  of  a  great  crowd.  Some  of  our  modern  great  men 
think  they  are  doing  nothing  unless  they  can  preach  to  a  vast 
crowd.  They  are  dull  without  it.  Our  fathers  worked  with 
the  few  and  the  solitary.  They  followed  the  example  of  the 
Master  with  Nicodemus,  and  the  woman  at  the  well,  and  the 


58  A  Century 

impotent  men  at  the  pool.  No  earthly  emoluments  allured 
them.  They  asked  no  marble  shaft  for  their  last  resting-place. 
They  gave  themselves  not  expecting  to  receive  gains.  They 
gave  the  world  a  Church  made  sacred  to  us  by  their  prayers 
and  tears  and  sacrificing  toils.  Were  I  permitted,  I  should 
1^'ke  here  and  now  to  call  the  long  roll  of  names  of  these  il- 
lustrious men  of  God.  They  would  answer  from  the  skies, 
"Here  are  we."  A  few  years  ago  a  brother  in  heart-touching 
prayer,  at  the  opening  of  the  Ohio  German  Conference, 
poured  out  his  soul  in  words  I  shall  never  forget,  "Oh,  Herr 
der  esste  Ohio  Deutsche  Conferenz  ist  Himmel."  So  we  may 
say  of  the  first  conference  and  fathers  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  "They  are  in  heaven."  But  they  have  left  to  the 
church  they  founded  and  to  the  world  they  blessed  the  pure 
spirit  of  a  holy  courage.  There  was  no  murmur  in  their 
faith.  At  times  they  walked  undaunted  in  flames,  but  the 
smell  of  fire  comes  not  with  their  garments  to  us.  The  rivers 
they  crossed  did  not  overflow  them.  The  study  of  the  history 
of  their  toils  reveals  to  us  a  spirit  of  love  for  men  and  purity 
and  God  that  charms  us. 

"These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the  promises, 
but  having  seen  them  and  greeted  them  from  afar,  and  hav- 
ing confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the 
earth."  "God  having  foreseen  some  better  things  concerning 
us,  that  apart  from  us  they  should  not  be  made  perfect." 

And  such  was  the  heroism  of  our  illustrious  fathers.  May 
God^s  angels  lead  us  to  drink  of  that  fountain  where  they  re- 
freshed themselves. 


THE  CHURCH  AN  AGENCY  FOR  THE  SPIRITUAL 
REGENERATION  OF  MAN. 

Rev.  R.  J.  White,  A.  M. 

On  a  business  street  of  any  one  of  our  cities  you  can  find 
a  grocery,  a  meat  market,  and  a  tailor  shop.  These  exist  to 
supply  certain  human  needs.  Man  has  a  body  which  must 
be  fed  and  clothed.  The  loaf  of  bread,  the  beefsteak,  and  the 
coat  are  evidences  of  man's  physical  wants.  In  the  same  city 
are  book-stores,  libraries,  and  theaters.  These  satisfy  other 
wants.  Men  think  and  dream.  They  are  moved  through  ideals. 
They  laugh  and  cry  and  get  angry. 

The  book,  the  diamond,  and  the  violin  meet  just  as  real  a 
demand  of  men  as  the  pound  of  butter,  the  orange,  and  the 
yard  of  broadcloth.  Not  far  away  stand  the  court-house,  the 
police  station,  and  the  church.  These  meet  other,  but  just  as 
real,  wants  of  men  as  the  grocery  and  the  art  store. 

Man  is  a  moral  being.  A  community  must  provide  an  insti- 
tution whose  end  is  to  secure  the  rights  of  its  members  and  to 
enforce  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  The  altar,  the  temple, 
and  the  cathedral  are  to  be  accounted  for  in  the  evolution  of 
society.  Their  history  is  part  of  the  race  history.  No  account 
of  man  is  complete  without  them.  My  contention  is,  that  man 
is  a  spiritual  being. 

The  grist-mill  was  called  into  existence  to  meet  man's  phys- 
ical needs,  the  printing-press  his  intellectual  appetite,  and  the 
theological  seminary  his  spiritual  nature.  The  baker,  the 
tailor,  the  printer,  the  judge,  and  the  preacher  are  all  neces- 
sary. The  same  great  law  has  brought  to  each  his  occupation. 
They  provide  not  for  the  same  needs,  but  all  for  man's  natural 
wants.  The  spiritual  nature  is  as  natural  as  the  physical.  Cli- 
mate, education,  and  association  have  not  produced  it.  The 
beaver  taught  man  how  to  dam  a  stream,  but  in  his  well-built 
home  there  is  no  chamber  for  prayer,  no  altar  for  sacrifice. 

59 


60  A  Century 

Man  is  brother  to  the  animal  in  his  bodily  wants ;  in  the  higher 
realm  the  relationship  ceases. 

It  might  be  suggested  that  not  far  from  the  church  is  the 
saloon,  and  that  the  mission  is  near  neighbor  to  the  brothel 
and  that  the  gambling  dens  are  more  numerous  than  the 
chapels.  Very  true;  these  all  are  proofs  that  man  has  powers 
which  may  be  abused.  The  confessional  and  the  seance  as 
clearly  evidence  man's  spiritual  nature  as  the  prayer  and  the 
anthem.  Man  may  feed  or  debauch  his  body,  control  his  pas- 
sions or  be  ruined  by  them,  develop  his  mind  or  become  an 
intellectual  cipher,  rise  to  the  worship  of  the  parent  Spirit, 
the  God  and  Father  of  all,  or  sink  to  communion  with  devils. 
The  newspaper,  the  book,  the  child-like  prayer  are  as  real  as 
bread  and  butter,  and  meet  as  actual  wants  as  do  beefsteak 
and  potatoes. 

"Man  was  born  with  an  interrogation  in  his  brain."  He 
must  ask  questions.  He  finds  himself  part  of  the  present  order. 
He  discovers  that  the  order  is  a  true  order,  hence  had  a  begin- 
ning; that  it  is  an  intelligent  order,  hence  there  must  be  a 
thinker.  He  knows  it  to  be  a  moral  order,  hence  there  is  a 
governor.  He  believes  that  it  is  benevolent  and  devoutly  cries, 
"Our  Father."  Thought  led  men  to  know  that  the  world  is 
round.  Trust  in  our  mental  faculties  induces  the  astronomer 
to  look  for  the  coming  eclipse.  In  the  same  way,  depending 
on  the  same  guide,  we  pray  to  the  ever-present  Father,  thank 
him  for  mercies  past,  and  seek  the  help  needed.  We  have  the 
power  of  appreciating  humor;  we  enjoy  melody;  the  work  of 
art  delights  us;  the  mother  hungers  for  the  love  of  children; 
companionship  is  sweet.  The  spiritual  nature  seeks  for  fellow- 
ship with  God.  One  man  does  not  read;  he  has  dollars  for 
beer,  but  not  a  penny  for  a  book.  That  does  not  prove  that 
man  has  no  intellectual  nature.  One  man  never  prays;  others 
do,  and  meet  the  Father.  •  He  makes  his  face  to  shine  upon 
them.  He  leads  them  into  green  pastures.  They  know  that 
they  have  the  faculty  for  communion  with  God. 

It  is  evident  that  the  spiritual  nature  is  very  important.  Its 
neglect  and  derangement  are  followed  by  sad  consequences. 


The  Church  an  Agency  61 

Every  community  can  furnish  specimens  of  men  who  have 
sunk  below  the  brute.  Every  morning  paper  tells  the  sad  story 
of  a  shipwrecked  life;  the  police  station  reveals  the  vital  im- 
portance to  society  of  cultivating  proi)erly  the  moral  nature; 
the  committees  appointed  by  assemblies  and  Congress  to  in- 
vestigate the  conduct  of  the  officers  betoken  the  rottenness  of 
society  and  the  unrest  and  sadness  of  soul-cry  for  proper  food 
for  starving  men  and  women.  Out  the  tap-root  of  the  plant, 
it  may  live  for  a  short  period.  Society  may  allow  the  weeds 
and  grass  to  grow  in  the  church  path,  the  preachers  be  left  with 
empty  pews,  and  the  Bible  be  dust-covered;  the  corruption  in 
private  and  public  life,  the  bitterness  of  soul  arising  from  un- 
satisfied longings,  the  awfulness  of  the  dark  shadow  of  death 
will,  sooner  or  later,  awaken  men  to  a  sense  of  the  vital  im- 
portance of  those  needs  which  you  cannot  satisfy  with  some- 
thing weighed  on  the  scales.  The  higher  up  you  go  in  our 
nature  the  greater  the  danger  from  neglect  or  abuse.  It  is 
reasonable  to  conclude  that  he  who  formed  us,  who  gifted  us 
with  a  spiritual  nature,  should  make  provisions  to  meet  its 
wants.  The  buried  coal,  the  rich  deposits  of  the  Carboniferous 
Age,  the  treasured  gold,  the  barreled  oil,  and  hidden  diamonds, 
all  show  the  care  of  Him  who  had  anticipated  the  coming  man. 
He  knew  what  we  would  need.  The  power  of  steam,  the  electric 
spark,  and  tumbling  mountain  stream  tell  us  of  his  love.  Are 
we  to  think  that  it  is  marvelous  that  he  should  open  to  himself 
a  new  and  living  way?  He  has  made  it  necessary  for  us  to 
study  long  to  discover  the  exact  moment  of  the  earth's  com- 
pletion of  her  trip  about  the  sun.  He  has  written  her  history 
in  the  rocks.  We  find  a  whole  library  of  thought  in  the  flow- 
ers. Has  he  fed  the  stomach  and  mind,  clothed  the  body,  and 
left  the  soul  to  starve  in  wretchedness  and  shiver  in  the  naked- 
ness of  mere  negation? 

What  can  supply  the  demand  of  our  spiritual  nature  ?  What 
provisions  has  our  Father  made?  Not  philosophy,  not  art,  not 
a  chant,  not  beautiful  forms,  not  suggestive  ceremonies.  These 
may  be  helpful,  and,  under  certain  conditions,  necessary.  They 
are  only  the  shadow,  the  husks,  the  shell,  not  the  substance. 


62  A  Century 

"This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  thee  the  only  true  God  and  him 
whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ."  Christ  is  the  bread 
of  life.  God  has  given  us  himself  in  Jesus  Christ.  "God  was 
in  Christ."  "God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh."  "The  very 
image  of  his  substance." 

What  men  need  is  not  a  metaphysical  abstraction,  but  a 
Person,  with  whom  communion  is  possible  and  who  is  ever 
present,  restraining,  guiding,  and  comforting.  Icebergs  have 
been  very  useful  in  the  past.  God  has  used  the  great  ice  fields 
to  level  down  the  mountains,  to  scatter  the  soil  and  rocks ;  they 
are  cold  things  for  comfort.  The  warm  hand  of  a  true  friend, 
the  sympathy  of  a  loving  heart  is  what  we  need.  The  presence 
of  a  holy  God  alone  can  check  us  in  the  downward  race.  When 
there  is  a  coffin  in  our  home,  when  we  go  down  into  the  valley 
of  shadows  we  need  the  infinite  One.  Walking  with  God  has 
ever  been  a  necessary  condition  for  translation,  because  only 
as  we  do  so  shall  we  be  made  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light. 

Christ  said  to  Simon,  "Thou  shalt  be  called  Peter."  He  pro- 
posed to  transform  the  man,  to  change  the  fickle  Simon  into 
the  solid  rock.  That  is  what  men  need  now,  not  development, 
not  conformation,  but  transformation ;  not  culture,  but  hirth — 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God.  Christ  can  change  the  name 
because  he  can  change  the  currents  of  our  life,  make  the  tree 
good.  We  must  be  born  of  the  Spirit,  then  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  will  be  borne  by  the  life.  Clothe  a  goat  with  wool,  but 
he  is  not  thereby  a  sheep.  Hanging  pears  on  a  quince  bush 
will  not  insure  a  crop  of  pears  next  year.  The  spiritual  regen- 
eration is  not  readjustment,  but  the  impartation  of  new  life, 
a  gift;  "the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life."  "He  that  hath  the 
Son  hath  life."  Christ's  method  of  spiritual  regeneration  was 
to  call  men  to  himself.  He  said,  "Come  unto  me,"  "Follow 
me,"  "Receive  me."  Crafty  publicans  were  changed  into  saints 
because  they  followed  him.  Fishermen  left  their  nets  to  be- 
come fishers  of  men,  giving  their  lives  in  unselfish  devotion  to 
a  work  of  faith  at  his  call.  His  presence  made  them  heroes. 
In  his  absence  they  were  afraid;  they  discussed  the  question 


The  Church  an  Agency  63 

of  personal  supremacy;  they  failed  in  an  attempt  to  cast  out 
the  evil  spirits;  they  caught  no  fish.  Jesus  visited  the  home 
of  Zaccheus.  The  rich  tax-gatherer  became  benevolent;  he 
was  ready  even  to  restore  fourfold.  The  abandoned,  the  social 
outcasts  were  suddenly  started  on  a  new  life.  The  Samaritan 
woman  became  a  missionary.  Nicodemus  meets  Jesus  at 
night;  he  never  could  shake  off  the  effect  of  that  interview. 
Christ  asked  men  to  believe,  not  a  theory,  a  philosophy,  but 
''Believe  on  me."  There  is  one  conversion  thrice  told  in  the 
Word  related  in  detail.  It  is  the  model  conversion.  The  sub- 
ject of  it  is  the  most  prominent  personality  in  the  early  church. 
The  persecutor  is  changed  into  a  suffering  apostle,  the  mur- 
derer of  Stephen  counts  it  a  joy  to  suffer  for  Stephen's  Christ. 
The  dynamic  in  this  revolution,  the  potent  force  is  not  the 
spectacular  incidents  of  the  Damascus  journey.  Saul  of  Tar- 
sus met  Christ.  "Who  art  thou?"  "I  am  Jesus  whom  thou 
persecutest."  Years  after,  Paul  loved  to  recount  that  last  of  all 
Christ  "was  seen  of  me  also  as  one  born  out  of  due  season." 
The  meeting  with  Jesus  wrought  the  change. 

In  giving  the  story  of  his  own  life,  Paul  could  but  explain 
it  by  saying,  "Christ  liveth  in  me."  In  the  prayer  of  Jesus 
in  the  upper  room  the  secret  of  the  divine  method  is  told. 
"While  I  was  with  them  I  kept  them  in  thy  name" — and  I 
guarded  them  and  not  one  of  them  is  perished — "I  pray 
not  that  thou  shouldst  take  them  from  the  world,  but  that  thou 
shouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil  one."  For  the  future  dis- 
ciples he  prayed  "that  they  also  may  be  in  us" — I  in  them,  thou 
in  me.  "That  the  world  may  know  that  thou  didst  send  me." 
Take  the  personar  pronouns  out  of  that  prayer,  and  it  is  mean- 
ingless. 

How  is  the  church  an  agency  for  the  spiritual  regeneration 
of  man  ?  First  of  all,  what  is  the  church  ?  Who  are  its  mem- 
bers? Four  stone  walls,  with  arched  roof  and  carved  columns 
and  pealing  organ,  do  not  make  a  church.  These  cannot  cause 
dead  men  to  live.  They  might  form  a  good  sepulcher;  they 
cannot  supply  the  alchemy  of  life.  Nor  is  the  church  an  in- 
describable something,  intangible   and  ethereal,  which  exists 


64  A  Century 

only  in  the  imagination  of  some  dreamers.  The  Colossian 
church  consisted  of  "the  saints  and  faithful  brei:hren  in  Christ 
which  are  at  Colossae."  "All  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  which 
are  at  Philippi"  formed  another  individual  church.  The 
churches  of  Galatia  were  the  brethren  who  were  to  walk  in  the 
Spirit,  having  begun  in  the  Spirit.  "The  church  at  Corinth 
with  all  the  saints  which  are  in  Achaia,"  was  Paul's  corre- 
spondent, which  he  describes  as  follows,  "The  church  of  God, 
even  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus  called  to  be  saints 
with  all  that  call  upon  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
every  place."  The  church  at  Rome  was  made  up  of  those  who 
were  "beloved  of  God  called  to  be  saints." 

James  writes  to  the  brethren;  Peter  to  those  "who  have  ob- 
tained a  like  precious  faith  with  us  in  the  righteousness  of  our 
God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  Christ  sent  messages  of  warn- 
ing to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia.  The  churches  of  the  New 
Testament  consisted  of  brethren,  not  always  united,  but  ex- 
horted by  their  leaders  to  be  such.  As  a  denomination,  we  can 
at  least  lay  claim  to  a  great  deal  of  scriptural  phraseology  if 
we  would  contend  with  brethren  in  Christ.  The  New  Testa- 
ment churches  were  composed  of  persons,  saints,  believers  in 
Christ. 

How  is  a  church  to  be  an  agency  for  the  spiritual  regenera- 
tion of  men?  Not  by  becoming  a  society  for  ethical  culture. 
Honesty,  fair-dealing,  and  gentleness  are  important.  To  exhort 
men  to  be  good,  to  surround  them  with  good  influence,  to 
charm  them  with  music  and  art, — all  of  these  methods  have 
been  tried,  but  alone  they  are  miserable  failures.  What  a  poor 
orphan  child  needs  is  a  mother,  a  live,  living  mother,  not  a 
fashion  dummy. 

Not  alone  by  endowing  hospitals,  in  which  the  sick  and 
wounded  poor  will  be  cared  for,  can  the  church  save  the  other 
half.  Not  by  soup  houses  and  diet  kitchens  will  the  slums  be 
emptied;  the  social  cancer  needs  more  radical  treatment. 
Drunkards  and  saloon-keepers  are  not  reformed  by  lectures  of 
sweet-voiced  orators  on  social  economics.  The  passions  and 
the  desires  are  not  to  be  held  captive  by  the  silk  ribbons  and 


The  Church  an  Agency  65 

flower  wreaths  of  refinement.  The  upi)er  crust  is  too  frequently 
a  crust  only,  a  thin  covering  for  the  seething  volcanic  fires 
beneath. 

Suppose  the  church  try  education.  Let  the  preacher  become 
a  teacher.  Substitute  catechumens  for  converts.  Kelegate 
Pauline  and  pentecostal  experiences  to  the  age  of  the  miracu- 
lous. What  then?  Guns  without  powder  are  harmless,  gas 
without  fire  cannot  dispel  darkness.  So  the  church  is  power- 
less without  a  living  Christ.  The  personal  factor  cannot  be 
eliminated  from  the  mechanical  equation;  the  soldier  behind 
the  gun  is  more  important  than  the  stone  walls  of  the  fort. 
What  men  need  is  not  a  book,  but  a  person,  not  knowledge,  but 
life. 

What  is  the  Master's  method  for  his  church  of  which  he  is 
the  head?  This  the  Saviour  made  very  plain,  both  by  his  ex- 
ample and  his  teaching.  When  about  to  leave  his  disciples,  he 
said,  "Ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all 
Judaea  and  Samaria  and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth." 
They  were  to  testify  of  Christ.  The  apostles  so  understood 
their  mission.  Peter  declared  to  the  council,  "We  are  wit- 
nesses." Philip  at  Samaria  preached  Christ  unto  the  people 
and  to  the  Ethiopian  he  preached  Jesus.  Peter  presented 
Christ  at  Pentecost.  A  careful  study  of  the  New  Testament 
sermons  shows  that  all  had  determined  to  know  nothing  but 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.  When  Paul  was  in  prison  at 
Jerusalem,  the  Lord  stood  by  him  in  the  night  and  said,  "Be 
of  good  cheer,  for  as  thou  hast  testified  concerning  me  at  Jeru- 
salem so  must  thou  bear  witness  also  at  Rome."  Christ  as- 
sured his  disciples  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  testify  of  him. 
This  promise  was  fulfilled.  When  the  name  of  Jesus  was  de- 
clared, the  Holy  Spirit  was  witness  to  the  truth.  Peter  preached 
to  the  Gentiles  at  Csesarea  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  how  God  had 
anointed  him.  "Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day  and  gave  him 
to  be  made  manifest,  not  unto  all  the  people,  but  unto  wit- 
nesses chosen  before  of  God,  even  us,"  and  while  he  spake  these 
words  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  them  which  heard  the  word. 

5 


66  A  Century 

Philip  is  still  the  model  preacher.  To  Nathanael  he  said, 
"We  have  found  him."  To  the  question  of  prejudice,  he  an- 
swered, "Come  and  see."  Hoffman's  picture  of  the  Christ  has 
an  indescribable  charm.  A  sense  of  awe  comes  over  the  soul 
when  it  is  studied  carefully.  It  is  said  that  the  artist  spent 
a  half -hour  in  prayer  each  day  before  he  began  his  work.  He 
found  the  risen  and  ever-present  Christ.  So  the  church  must 
first  know  her  Lord,  and  then  she  can  cry,  "Come  and  see." 
The  Master  knew,  and  he  promised,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway." 
"Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  in  my  name  there  am  I." 

The  spiritual  regeneration  of  men  is  accomplished  by  being 
transformed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory,  of  a 
spiritual  Christ  made  tangible  to  thought  and  capable  of  clear 
knowledge  through  the  Word  made  flesh.  The  church  is  an 
agency  to  secure  this  only  as  she  brings  men  to  Jesus. 


THE  CONCENTRATION  OF  OUR  CHURCH  FORCES. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Weekley. 

No  GENERAL  vETsed  in  military  tactics  would  think  of  divid- 
ing his  army  into  fragments  before  engaging  a  deadly  foe. 
Both  reason  and  experience  would  oppose  such  a  policy. 

When  that  great  battle  of  the  Spanish- American  War  was 
fought  before  Santiago,  a  few  summers  ago,  a  large  part  of 
our  army  and  navy  were  concentrated  about  the  doomed  city. 
Every  gun  pointed  to  the  same  spot. 

General  Sherman's  famous  "march  to  the  sea"  through  the 
enemy's  country  was  only  possible  because  he  left  Chatta- 
nooga with  an  organized  army  of  100,000  men.  In  all  material 
affairs  concentration  is  the  philosophy  of  strength,  and,  con- 
sequently, of  success.  Premature  and  unnecessary  divisions 
are  sources  of  weakness,  and  in  proportion  as  they  are  multi- 
plied defeat  becomes  more  certain  and  disastrous.  This  prin- 
ciple applies  with  greater  or  less  force  to  every  phase  of  church 
work  planned  and  carried  on  by  human  agency. 

In  the  schoolroom,  in  the  mechanic's  shop,  on  the  farm, 
everywhere,  we  hear  the  injunction,  "What  you  do,  do  well." 
The  teacher  is  supposed  to  know  the  capabilities  of  the  child, 
hence  places  a  limit  to  the  number  of  its  studies.  The  wise 
foreman  in  the  factory  only  requires  of  his  subordinates  such 
service  as  they  are  able  to  perform.  The  machinery  he  em- 
ploys can  only  do  just  so  much  work.  To  overtax  it  is  dan- 
gerous and  therefore  unwise.  Abnormal  conditions  are  easily 
brought  about.  It  is  possible  for  a  church  to  undertake  too 
much  work,  and  thus,  in  a  measure,  fail  of  the  ends  it  seeks 
to  accomplish.  This  is  true,  at  least  to  some  extent,  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church — a  church  so  dear  to  us  all.  But  our 
love  for  and  interest  in  the  Church  should  not  blind  us  to  its 
weak  points,  but  the  rather  lead  us  to  discover  and  remove 
them. 

67 


68  A  Century 

We  have  a  providential  place  among  the  great  Protestant 
forces  of  this  and  other  countries.  God  V70uld  have  us  d^ 
what  we  reasonably  can.  I  say  "reasonably  can,"  for  he  does 
not  require  unreasonable  things  of  his  people.  We  are  sim- 
ply to  improve  and  multiply  the  talents  entrusted  to  us.  A 
bare  quarter  million  of  numbers  cannot,  in  reason,  hope  to  du- 
plicate the  work  of  a  denomination  three  or  four  times  as 
large.  I  fear  this  fact  has  not  been  properly  appreciated  by 
us,  hence  our  vain  attempts  to  go  where  others  have  gone  and 
to  do  what  others  have  done  when  we  lacked  in  resources,  has 
caused  such  a  dissipation  of  forces  that  results,  in  many  in- 
stances have  been  far  from  satisfactory. 

I  am  here  to  plead  for  such  a  reorganization  and  concen- 
tration of  men,  money,  and  energy  as  will  give  new  impetus 
to  every  department  of  our  connectional  work,  and  send  us 
out  into  the  new  century  with  a  quickened  life  and  steadier 
pace.    This  conservation  of  forces  should  obtain : 

1.  In  the  management  of  our  foreign  missionary  work.  I 
do  not  criticise  the  occupany  of  any  of  our  present  fields 
abroad.  They  are  all  important  and  needy;  but  I  sincerely 
hope  no  one  will  talk  about  another  such  field  for  years  to 
come.  We  all  know,  and  some  of  us  too  well,  that  we  are  not 
making  the  headway  in  our  foreign  work  that  the  larger 
faith  of  the  Church  demands,  not  because  our  noble  mis- 
sionaries, as  a  rule,  are  not  doing  their  duty  faithfully,  for 
they  are;  not  because  the  money  appropriated  to  them  is  not 
wisely  expended,  for  it  is;  but  because  the  funds  needed  to 
multiply  helpers  and  to  furnish  schools  and  churches  are 
lacking.  Not  more  missions,  but  better  sustained  missions 
should  be  our  motto ;  not  a  further  scattering  of  forces,  which 
are  small  at  best,  into  many  lands,  but  a  concentration  of  them 
upon  the  fields  already  occupied. 

2.  This  policy  should  apply  to  our  educational  work.  I  am 
glad  this  is  being  seen  more  and  more.  I  suppose,  however, 
that  if  each  conference  in  the  church  would  attempt  to  build, 
equip,  and  run  a  college,  some  i)eople  would  call  it  progress, 


IVie  Concentration  of  Our  Church  Forces  69 

and  point  with  pride  to  such  a  record  on  so  great  a  question. 
P»ut  it  would  really  be  recklessness.  Such  a  policy  would  so 
divide  the  patronage  and  funds  of  the  Church  as  to  make  one 
first-class  school  among  us  an  impossibility.  Not  more  col- 
leges, but  better  ones,  expresses  a  thought  which,  among  our 
business  laymen  especially,  is  growing  into  a  positive  convic- 
tion. 

3.  This  same  principle  should  guide  in  the  management  of 
our  home  mission  operations.  There  is  a  limit  to  the  ability 
of  every  annual  conference  to  do  such  work.  If  only  one  or 
two  city  missions  can  be  well  sustained  at  the  same  time,  why 
undertake  a  half  dozen  ?  The  multiplication  of  such  enterprises, 
means,  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  employment  of  men 
who  are  not  qualified  for  such  work  because  adequate  support 
cannot  be  guaranteed.  I  am  not  mistaken  in  this.  My  asso- 
ciates on  the  executive  committee  for  the  last  four  years  will 
bear  me  out  in  the  statement  that  appeals  are  coming  in  from 
one  quarter  or  another  nearly  all  the  time  praying  for  mis- 
sionary appropriations  in  order  that  good  men  may  be  secured. 
But  all  cannot  be  helped.  If  they  were,  the  Parent  Board 
would  have  nothing  at  all  for  the  foreign  field,  hence  they 
continue  the  employment  of  home  missionaries  who  are  ut- 
terly unable  to  represent  the  Church,  and  as  the  result,  in 
many  cases,  our  cause  falls  into  disrepute.  Brethren,  if  we 
cannot  go  into  a  city  or  town  with  some  degree  of  respecta- 
bility and  backing,  let  us  stay  out,  and  not  misrepresent  the 
Church.    We  cannot  afford  to  play  at  missions. 

You  will  understand,  brethren,  that  I  do  not  exempt  our 
people  from  doing  their  full  duty  in  aiding  the  benevolences 
of  the  Church.  Those  who  know  me  best,  and  have  heard  me 
most  frequently,  will  bear  testimony  to  my  faithfulness  in 
presenting  the  money  question.  Larger  giving  everywhere 
is  one  of  the  supremest  needs  of  the  hour,  and  should  be  em- 
phasized by  the  pastor  in  his  pulpit  ministrations,  and  by 
every  teacher  in  the  Sabbath  school,  while  our  periodicals 
should  fairly  throb  with  living  editorials  ui>on  the  subject.    I 


70  A  Century 

think,  however,  I  have,  at  least  in  part,  a  solution  of  the 
financial  problem.  It  is  this.  If  we  want  our  intelligent,  de- 
voted, well-to-do  laymen  to  give  more  money  for  the  further- 
ance of  our  various  interests,  let  us  use  wisely  what  they  have 
already  put  in  our  hands.  They  are  on  the  alert  all  the  time, 
studying  the  various  phases  of  our  work,  our  methods  of 
operation,  together  with  the  progress  made.  They  understand 
business  principles  and  how  those  principles  must  be  applied 
to  the  material  side  of  church  work.  They  can  see  when  money 
is  scattered  until  it  has  no  power  or  value ;  hence,  I  repeat,  ifi 
we  want  more  of  their  money,  more  than  we  have  ever  had 
before,  let  us  prove  to  them  by  actual  dividends  in  heavenly 
stock  that  what  they  have  already  entrusted  to  us  is  well 
invested. 

It  is  not  merely  the  question  of  giving  that  we  are  discuss- 
ing, for  we  all  are  agreed  that  "every  man  should  lay  by  him 
in  store  as  God  has  prospered  him"  for  the  work  of  the  Church. 
It  is  not  simply  the  question  of  service  that  is  under  considera- 
tion. Who  denies  that  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Otterbein 
should  lead  lives  of  self -surrender  for  the  good  of  others?  It 
is  not  the  question  of  expansion  or  of  aggressiveness  that  we 
contemplate,  for  we  are  all  agreed  that  the  whole  world  should 
be  taken  for  Christ.  But  how  may  we  best  use  the  money  we 
give?  how  and  where  may  we  most  wisely  spend  our  time  and 
energies  ?  how  may  we  most  effectually  build  up  and  strengthen 
the  kingdom  of  God  with  the  resources  at  command  ?  are  ques- 
tions which  challenge  our  most  prayerful  considerations.  We 
have  just  so  many  effective  ministers  to  employ,  and  just  so 
much  money  at  our  command  for  local  and  general  purposes; 
hence  the  question.  How  shall  we  employ  these  agencies  in 
order  to  best  conserve  the  real  interests  of  a  fallen  race?  I 
believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  each  conference  to  carry  on  all  the 
time  one  or  more  general  enterprises,  according  to  ability. 
This  is  needful  not  only  to  help  save  souls,  but  to  unify  our 
people  in  effort,  and  to  lift  many  a  congregation  out  of  that  sel- 
fish individualism  into  which  it  has  fallen,  or  is  liable  to  fall.  I 


The  Concentration  of  Our  Church  Forces  71 

say  every  conference  should  thus  do,  but  here  we  meet  another 
phase  of  the  same  difficulty,  to  which  attention  has  already 
been  directed.  Some  of  our  conferences  are  so  weak,  numeri- 
cally and  financially,  that  they  cannot  even  carry  on  one  such 
enterprise  as  I  have  been  talking  about.  They  are  next  to 
helpless,  so  far  as  aggressive  work  in  the  best  sense  is  con- 
cerned. Brethren,  I  ask  in  all  candor,  why  permit  such  a 
condition  to  exist  where  it  may  be  avoided?  Why  the  cleav- 
ing of  our  membership  into  so  many  fragments,  which  in- 
creases general  expenses  and  renders  local  work  more  difficult? 
I  know  that  fewer  conferences  would  mean  a  less  number  of 
presiding  elders,  and  possibly  fewer  representatives  in  the 
General  Conference,  though  not  necessarily  so,  but  what  does 
that  signify  if,  by  consolidation,  we  may  increase  our  useful- 
ness and  the  more  certainly  lay  the  foundation  for  enlarge- 
ment. 

The  process  of  expansion,  a  thing  we  all  believe  in,  is  easy 
and  natural  with  a  recognized  center  as  a  base  of  operation. 
In  this  way  new  circuits  are  formed  and  new  conferences  are 
organized.  I  have  been  discussing  the  policy  of  a  confer- 
ence. What  a  local  society  may  do  in  and  of  itself  is  another 
thing  entirely.  It  takes  care  of  its  own  interests,  supports  its 
own  pastor,  and  pays  its  own  bills  without  appealing  to  the 
conference  or  church  at  large  for  help. 

We  have  an  illustration  of  the  wisdom  of  concentration  in 
our  Publishing  House  at  Dayton,  Ohio.  The  very  thought  of 
it  thrills  the  Church  with  a  feeling  of  pride  and  deepest  satis- 
faction. In  the  commercial  world  it  is  rated  first-class  and  gives 
prestige  and  prominence  to  the  entire  denomination.  But  sup- 
pose that,  years  ago,  three  or  four  other  similar  concerns  had 
been  authorized  by  the  General  Conference,  what,  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  would  be  their  condition  to-day?  It  has  re- 
quired the  patronage  of  the  whole  Church  to  build  up  the 
magnificent  institution  we  have,  and  nothing  short  of  such 
patronage  yet  for  many  years  will  keep  it  great. 


72  A  Century 

The  Lord  Jesus,  the  greatest  of  all  teachers,  laid  down,  or 
rather  affirmed,  a  principle  which  ought  to  govern  every  Chris- 
tian man,  whether  engaged  in  church  or  secular  matters.  I 
will  put  it  against  all  the  theorizing  possible  to  the  contrary. 
He  says,  "For  which  of  you  intending  to  build  a  tower  sitteth 
not  down  first  and  counteth  the  cost  whether  he  have  sufficient 
to  finish  it."  He  speaks  of  it  as  a  well-understood  principle  in 
business.  "Sitteth  not  down  first  and  counteth  the  cost." 
This  means  deliberation.  "If  there  be  sufficient,"  not  to  begin 
it,  or  to  half  support  it,  but  "to  finish  it." 

There  are  two  things  to  consider  in  undertaking  any  kind 
of  Christian  work  involving  an  outlay  of  money;  namely,  cost 
and  resources.  God  wants  his  work  well  done.  If  it  is  not, 
the  effort  becomes  a  hindrance  rather  than  a  blessing  to  his 
kingdom.  It  furnishes  the  unsaved  an  imperfect  conception 
of  the  "church  of  the  first  born,"  and  thus  brings  into  disre- 
pute the  very  cause  we  want  the  whole  world  to  love  and  re- 
spect. 

Oh,  I  plead  for  the  application  of  business  principles  in 
every  phase  and  department  of  church  work.  We  should  not 
be  swayed  or  governed  by  impulse,  but  by  the  observance  of 
the  very  same  rules  which  obtain  and  bring  success  in  all  le- 
gitimate human  affairs. 

But  we  are  often  met  with  this  suggestion,  "You  must  have 
faith  in  God."  I  have  faith  in  him,  and  always  have  had; 
and  through  his  abounding  grace  I  will  continue  to  stand  upon 
his  promises  so  long  as  there  is  breath  in  my  body ;  but  to  put 
faith  in  him  over  against  common  business  sense  has  no  jus- 
tification either  in  scripture  or  reason.  What!  do  a  thing  un- 
warranted and  then  ask  God  to  perform  a  miracle  in  order  to 
carry  my  project  to  a  successful  termination?  Never.  It  is 
next  to  a  crime  to  try  to  bring  God  into  a  responsible  partner- 
ship with  us  when  we  have  in  our  undertakings  overstepped 
the  bounds  of  reason.  God  only  helps  those  who  work  ac- 
cording to  his  rules  which  are  so  plainly  defined  by  the  Sav- 
iour himself. 


The  Concentration  of  Our  Church  Fm^ces  73 

Away  with  that  pessimism  which  sees  no  good  in  anything 
or  anybody,  and  consequently  serves  only  as  a  break  on  the 
wheels  of  progress.  It  is  skepticism  of  the  rankest  sort;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  am  against  that  kind  of  optimism  which 
is  blind  to  difficulties,  and  never  sees  conditions  as  they  really 
exist. 

If  God  should  speak  to  us  audibly  when  we  pray  for  divine 
assistance  in  vindication  of  our  undertakings,  I  think  he 
would  often  say,  "Exercise  your  common  sense,  the  intelli- 
gence with  which  I  endowed  you.  I  gave  you  eyes  with  which 
to  see  danger.  Don't  walk  into  it  and  then  ask  me  to  help  you 
out.  I  gave  you  reason  with  which  to  plan  work.  Don't  vio- 
late its  plainest  dictates  and  then  ask  me  to  interpose  and 
prevent  disgrace  and  ruin."  There  is  a  sensible  middle 
ground  to  occupy  between  a  disheartening  pessimism  on  one 
hand  and  an  unbridled  optimism  on  the  other.  It  is  this. 
Plan  deliberately  and  wisely.  Count  the  cost  carefully,  which 
means,  as  well,  a  careful  estimate  of  resources.  Bring  the 
whole  enterprise  within  the  range  of  a  possible  accomplish- 
ment, and  then  succeed  or  die  trying. 

The  scattering  of  money  and  efforts  is  a  dissipation  of 
forces  without  excuse,  for  we  must  answer,  not  only  at  the  last 
day,  as  we  stand  in  the  white  light  of  the  throne,  but  also  be- 
fore the  bar  of  a  discriminating  public  sentiment. 

I  love  this  dear  old  Church,  having  been  reared  at  her  al- 
tars. The  very  name  is  sweet  and  full  of  music.  I  want  to 
see  the  largest  possible  success  achieved  under  the  blessings  of 
God;  and  because  of  this  I  speak  plainly  as  to  the  policy  I 
think  should  be  pursued ;  and,  standing  as  we  are,  just  within 
the  gates  of  the  new  century,  I  would  again  fling  her  banners 
to  the  breeze  with  the  glorious  motto  emblazoned  thereon, 
"Better  work  for  the  Church ;  better  service  for  Christ." 


THE  NEXT  STEP  IN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROOKESS. 
H.  A.  Thompson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

One  hundred  years  ago,  in  a  private  house,  near  the  city  of 
Frederick,  there  gathered  together  fourteen  plain,  unlettered 
men,  for  the  most  part  "unsectarian"  preachers,  as  they  called 
themselves,  and  voted  that  one  day  each  year  should  be  set 
apart  when  they  would  assemble  and  counsel  how  they  might 
conduct  their  office  "more  and  more  according  to  the  will  of 
God  and  according  to  the  mind  of  God,  that  the  church  of 
God  may  be  built  up  and  sinners  converted,  so  that  God  in 
Christ  may  be  honored."  A  loftier  purpose  never  animated 
mortal  man. 

We  are  here  to-day  to  commemorate  the  work  of  these  God- 
inspired  men,  to  return  thanks  for  the  foundations  they  were 
permitted  to  lay,  and  the  structure  which  has  been  reared 
thereon,  and  to  plan  for  the  enlargement  of  their  work  in  the 
years  to  come.  They  did  not,  even  in  their  wildest  dreams,  have 
any  conception  of  what  you  and  I  see  about  us  to-day.  They 
did  not  need  to  know.  It  is  the  business  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  to  plan  the  battle  and  arrange  the  forces  as  he  may 
think  best.  It  was  their  work,  as  it  is  ours,  to  fill  the  places 
in  the  ranks,  so  the  battle  could  be  won. 

Bible  schools,  in  the  sense  of  schools  for  the  simple  study  of 
God's  Word,  are  said  by  some  to  date  back  as  far  as  the  days 
of  Samuel,  possibly  farther.  In  the  later  days  of  the  Jewish 
nation  it  is  said  that  to  each  synagogue  was  attached  a  school. 
It  is  usual  to  date  the  origin  of  the  modern  Sabbath  school  to 
Eobert  Raikes  in  1780,  who  gathered  together  the  poor  chil- 
dren of  Gloucester,  England,  to  teach  them  to  read,  utilizing 
the  Sabbath  as  the  day  when  they  were  not  at  work.  In  the 
earlier  history  of  schools  in  this  country  children  were  taught 
to  spell  and  read,  and  the  schools  were  mainly  for  children 
who  were  not  well  cared  for  at  home.     Later,  however,  the 

74 


The  Next  Step  in  Saiiday- School  Frocjress  75 

Sunday-school  has  been  almost  wholly  for  scriptural  instruc- 
tion, and  has  been  assigned  but  a  brief  portion  of  the  day,  not 
exceeding  one  and  a  half  hours,  so  that  other  religious  services 
might  occupy  the  attention  of  the  members.  In  its  earlier 
history  concerned  for  the  welfare  of  the  children  almost  ex- 
clusively, at  present  none  are  too  young  and  none  too  old  to 
become  members  thereof. 

Before  1800  numerous  schools  were  established  in  the 
United  States.  In  1824  the  American  Sunday-School  Union 
was  organized.  In  1827  the  Sunday- School  Union  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  began  in  New  York  City.  In 
1821,  the  State  of  Delaware  provided  by  law  that  twenty  cents 
a  scholar  should  be  paid  to  the  teacher  of  a  Sabbath  school, 
provided  the  school  continued  for  three  months  or  more.  This 
was  later  amended  to  forty  cents  per  scholar,  and  in  1893  fur- 
ther amended  so  as  to  pay  fifty  cents  for  each  white  scholar,  the 
sum  annually  expended  not  to  exceed  $500  for  each  county. 

It  were  fair  to  suppose  that  our  early  fathers  one  hundred 
years  ago  taught  their  children  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  But 
at  that  time  they  had  no  departments  of  church  work.  It  was 
simply  a  modest  missionary  society  seeking  to  reach  the  Ger- 
man emigrants  who  came  to  this  land.  So  far  as  we  know,  no 
other  church  at  this  time  had  made  this  a  department  of 
church  work.  It  is  reported  that,  in  1820,  near  Corydon,  in 
southern  Indiana,  Rev.  John  Pfrimmer,  a  minister  of  this 
Church,  organized  and  conducted  what  may  be  taken  as  the 
first  United  Brethren  Sabbath  school. 

In  1842  a  song-book  suitable  for  young  people  appeared.  In 
1849  the  Sunday  school  is  mentioned  in  our  Book  of  Disci- 
pline. In  1854  came  the  Children's  Friend  for  the  English 
pupils  and  the  Young  Pilgrim  for  the  German.  In  1865  came 
the  Sunday-School  Board,  with  its  plan  of  organizing  and  help- 
ing needy  schools.  Up  to  this  date  no  statistics  of  our  schools 
had  ever  been  collected. 

When  the  plan  of  uniform  lessons  was  adopted  in  1873,  we 
at  once  put  ourselves   in  line  with  the  aggressive   Sunday- 


76  A  Century 

school  workers  of  the  nation,  and  began  the  publication  of  our 
'Wesson  helps,"  which  have  helped  to  give  unity  and  efficiency 
to  the  Sunday-school  work  of  the  Church.  This  necessitated 
better-prepared  teachers.  The  writer  of  this  paper  has  the 
honor  of  having  his  name  enrolled  as  the  first  applicant  for 
instruction  when  the  Chautauqua  Assembly  opened  in  1874,  at 
Chautauqua,  N.  Y.  Under  the  direction  of  Colonel  K.  Cow- 
den  we  now  have  over  five  thousand  members  enrolled  as  stu- 
dents, taking  the  Bible  Normal  Course  by  correspondence.  Our 
first  Sunday-school  institute  was  held  at  Arcanum,  Ohio,  in 
1877,  and  since  that  our  secretary  has  held  thousands  else- 
v/here.  In  1880  the  first  Children's  Day  service  was  held,  and 
annually  ever  since.  With  the  contributions  received  we  have 
been  able  to  assist  our  mission  work  in  Africa,  Germany, 
Japan,  China,  Porto  Rico,  as  well  as  mission  schools  in  Ameri- 
can cities,  and  on  the  frontier. 

But  why  tarry  in  these  hurried  moments  to  speak  of  the 
past  ?  If  the  work  has  been  well  done  God  will  not  forget  our 
labor  of  love.  If  not  well  done,  it  is  now  too  late  to  adjust  it. 
The  value  of  this  look  at  the  past  is  to  give  guidance,  direction, 
and  inspiration  for  the  years  that  are  to  come.  We  assume 
that  the  work  already  done,  and  the  growth  received,  justifies 
us  in  believing  that  the  Head  of  the  church  has  a  place  for  us 
in  the  advancing  columns  of  Christian  civilization.  What, 
then,  is  the  work  before  us  for  the  beginning  of  this  twentieth 
century,  as  well  as  this  second  century  of  our  organized  exis- 
tence ? 

1.  The  Sunday  school  is  the  great  teaching  force  of  the 
church.  It  is  the  plan  of  the  aggressive  workers  that  every 
child  born  into  the  world  should  at  once  be  enrolled  in  the 
^'Cradle  Roll"  of  some  organized  school,  the  mother  promising 
that  as  soon  as  able  to  do  so  the  child  shall  personally  attend 
the  services.  In  the  olden  times  the  idea  was  reformation. 
The  key-note  of  this  century  is  formation.  There  have  lived 
devoted  Christian  men  who  were  never  able  to  tell  precisely 
when  they  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     Dr.  Bushnell  be- 


2  he  Next  Step  in  Sunday-School  Progress  77 

lieves  that  when  Christian  parents  live  such  lives  as  they 
should,  and  train  their  little  ones  as  they  ought,  the  latter  will 
unconsciously  come  into  the  spiritual  kingdom.  Whether  this 
be  true  or  not,  it  will  be  a  great  blessing  to  the  child  and  to 
the  church  to  place  him  in  such  surroundings  as  will  very 
early  lead  him  to  love  the  Master. 

2.  The  Home  Department  assumes  that  every  adult  man 
and  woman  should  study  the  Word  of  God  a  iwrtion  of  the 
Sabbath.  "The  entrance  of  thy  words  giveth  light;  it  giveth 
understanding  unto  the  simple."  Whether  able  to  be  present  or 
not,  on  Sabbath  they  can  study  the  lesson.  They  may  be  held 
at  home  by  family  cares,  by  sickness,  or  hindered  by  a  variety 
of  causes  from  attending  the  Sunday  school,  but  in  this  way 
the  school  can  be  brought  to  them,  and  they  taught  as  others 
the  way  of  life.  If  this  be  vigorously  pushed,  it  would  not 
only  make  us  a  church  of  Bible  readers,  but  the  blessed  effects 
would  reach  those  not  identified  with  any  church. 

And  why  should  not  every  church-member  be  an  enrolled 
member  of  the  Sabbath  school  in  some  department  ?  How  can 
we  grow  up  into  a  strong,  sturdy  Christian  life  without  a 
knowledge  of  God's  Word,  and  what  better  way  to  get  that 
knowledge  than  by  a  systematic  study  of  the  Scriptures  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  during  the  week  when  possible,  under  judicious 
guidance  and  directors. 

With  the  enrollment  of  our  children,  from  the  babe  on  its 
mother's  knee  to  the  young  man  and  woman  ready  for  life's 
work,  as  well  as  the  children  of  the  unconverted  who  are  not 
cared  for  at  home;  with  the  presence  of  every  member  of  the 
church  who  is  able  to  be  present,  and  the  promise  of  those  who 
cannot  come  to  faithfully  study  the  lesson,  the  next  step  is  to 
provide  the  very  best  teaching  force  that  is  possible.  This  is 
the  one  thing  essential  to  all  Sunday-school  work.  Without 
this  the  results  will  be  very  meager. 

Herein  has  been  not  only  our  great  weakness,  but  the  weak- 
ness of  other  churches.  Notwithstanding  we  have  a  free  open 
Bible,  it  is  astonishing  that  there  is  such  great  ignorance  of 


78  A  Century 

Bible  knowledge.  A  few  years  ag-o,  the  presi'denti  of  an  Oh,io  col- 
lege asked  of  some  young  men  coming  from  some  of  the  best 
high  schools  in  the  land — most  of  them  from  Christian  fami- 
lies, many  of  them  members  of  Christian  churches — who 
had  applied  for  admission  to  the  freshman  class,  some  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  questions  concerning  Bible  allusions  made  by 
literary  men  in  their  writings,  and  not  half  of  them  reached 
fifty  per  cent,  in  their  answers,  and  yet  the  questions  all  re- 
ferred to  matters  concerning  which  any  ordinary  boy  or  girl 
who  was  a  Bible  student  should  have  been  well  informed. 
And  this  is  only  a  specimen  of  the  ignorance  concerning 
Bible  truth  which  exists  in  so-called  intelligent  circles. 

In  all  successful  teaching  there  are  three  things  that  must 
be  known:  (1)  The  nature  of  the  mind  to  be  taught,  not  only 
its  general,  but  specific  characteristics;  (2)  the  subject  mat- 
ter to  be  taught;  (3)  the  laws  of  adaptation  whereby  the  thing 
taught  may  be  brought  in  such  relation  to  the  mind  that  it 
may  understand  it;  take  it  in  and  make  it  a  part  of  its  own 
life,  or  mental  furnishing.  Apply  the  principles  to  our  work 
and  see  how  woefully  defective  we  have  been. 

Take,  for  illustration,  the  field  of  secular  education,  and  the 
brightest  teachers  are  at  work,  and  have  been  for  some  time,  in 
studying  the  nature  of  this  thing  which  we  call  mind.  Thou- 
sands of  experiments  have  been  made  on  children  of  different 
ages  and  temperaments  with  a  view  to  find  a  philosophy  of 
child  life.  Certain  peculiarities  are  manifest  at  one  period  of 
life  and  others  at  another.  The  wise  teachers  will  develop 
each  in  its  proper  order,  if  he  knows  that  order,  and  if  he  does 
not,  he  will  work  at  random,  hoping  that  some  good  result  may 
come  to  pass. 

The  Sunday-school  teacher  must  deal  with  this  same  mind. 
How  many  of  them  have  sat  down  to  study  their  own  mental 
operations  as  a  means  of  understanding  the  operations  of 
otliers?  There  are  perplexities  in  mental  science  and  many 
unsolved  problems,  but  the  general  principles  can  be  under- 
stood by  all.    Now,  if  there  is  an  order  of  development,  and  of 


The  Next  Step  in  Sunday- School  Progress  79 

the  presentation  of  truth  in  the  intellectual  realm,  is  it  not  just 
as  true  in  the  spiritual?  How  many  pastors  can  tell  from  ob- 
servation and  study  the  difference  in  the  Christian  experience 
of  the  ten-year-old,  the  twenty-year-old,  and  the  fifty-year-old  ? 
And  yet  there  is  such.  The  truth  is  received,  the  experiences 
are  different,  the  manifestations  are  not  the  same.  There  are 
some  conceptions  of  truth  which  should  not  be  presented  to 
the  ten-year-old,  for  his  religious  development  is  not  ready  for 
them.  The  boy  beginning  arithmetic  does  not  need  to  be  in- 
structed in  the  peculiarities  of  conic  sections.  Religious  facts 
can  come  earlier,  but  the  philosophy  of  the  atonement,  of  God^s 
decrees,  of  religion  in  general,  had  better  be  left  to  later 
years.  Now  if  there  be  such  an  order  of  religious  develop- 
ment, that  is  not  good  teaching  which  does  not  recognize  it. 

There  must  be  a  study  of  the  subject  to  be  taught.  A  man 
cannot  teach  arithmetic,  geology,  chemistry  not  having  learned 
it  in  some  way.  We  have  but  one  book  td  teach,  but  it  is  all- 
embracing.  We  need  to  become  saturated  with  its  biography, 
its  history,  its  precepts,  its  spirit.  It  has  changed  our  lan- 
guage, has  purified  human  lives,  has  molded  nations,  and,  to 
some  extent,  subdued  the  world.  We  want  to  study  it  by  para- 
graphs, by  subjects,  by  books,  by  the  relation  of  its  parts:  we 
must  know  something  of  what  it  has  done  for  the  lives  of  men 
in  all  ages,  what  it  has  done  for  us,  what  it  will  do  for  others. 

Having  studied  the  human  mind  and  its  different  manifes- 
tations, having  made  ourselves  familiar  with  our  text-book, 
then  we  must  learn  something  of  the  laws  of  adaptation.  It  is 
said  the  native  physician  of  South  Africa  gathers  up  a  variety 
of  roots,  each  of  which  is  good,  in  his  judgment,  for  some  par- 
ticular disease.  Placing  them  in  a  pot,  boiling  and  extracting 
the  good  qualities  of  each,  he  produces  a  sort  of  syrup  which 
he  places  in  one  bottle,  and  gives  each  of  his  patients  a  dose 
out  of  that,  firmly  believing  that  what  belongs  to  each  disease 
will  find  its  way  to  the  injured  part  and  produce  health.  Some 
Sabbath-school  teachers  are  imbued  with  the  same  faith,  and 
the  results  are  usually  the  same  in  both  cases. 


80  A  Century 

The  human  mind  is  not,  as  a  rule,  averse  to  the  truths  of 
science,  hence  in  general,  if  they  are  presented  in  a  proper 
way,  will  receive  them.  But  the  human  mind  is  averse  to  Bible 
truth  as  usually  presented.  It  does  not  want  to  confess  its  own 
sinfulness;  it  does  not  want  to  put  aside  its  pride,  and  array 
itself  in  the  garb  of  Christian  humility ;  it  does  not  want  to  lay 
aside  its  own  will  and  place  itself  under  the  will  of  another. 
"The  natural  mind  is  at  enmity  against  God."  The  Sunday- 
school  teacher  has  a  harder  task  than  his  brother  in  the  public 
school  to  bring  to  bear  the  truths  of  God  so  as  to  influence  the 
human  heart  to  receive  and  obey  them.  While  all  this  is  true, 
it  is  also  proper  to  say  that  God  has  not  left  himself  without  a 
witness,  but  that  in  its  best  moments  the  soul  cries  out  for 
some  God  as  yet  to  it  unknown. 

We  have  come  to  a  time  where  we  must  more  and  more  use 
the  best  methods  of  our  best  educational  reformers.  "We  must 
find  out  what  the  child  is,  must  take  him  as  he  is,  and  then 
proceed  to  develop  him  according  to  the  necessities  and  laws  of 
his  being."  We  must  learn  that  all  truth  is  not  equally  good 
for  man  and  child  spiritually,  just  as  all  food  is  not  good  for 
their  bodies.  A  child  cannot,  since  his  nature  and  needs  are 
different,  receive  and  assimilate  and  thus  be  nourished  by 
truth  requiring  adult  conditions  for  its  right  reception. 

What  can  be  done  to  furnish  our  schools  with  more  efficient 
teachers  ? 

1.  We  must  organize  more  teachers*  meetings.  Our  statis- 
tics rei>ort  36,757  teachers  and  officers  enrolled.  It  is  fair  to 
infer  that  from  25,000  to  30,000  of  these  are  teachers.  How  is 
this  large  army  of  teachers  prepared  for  their  work?  We  do 
them  no  injustice  When  we  say  the  larger  body  of  them  have 
no  other  preparation  than  that  which  they  can  pick  up  from 
the  chance  literature  that  may  float  their  way.  Two-thirds  of 
them  do  not  even  have  a  copy  of  Our  Bible  Teacher,  which  is 
the  orsran  of  the  Church  designed  especially  to  help  these  peo- 
ple. We  report  3,658  schools,  and  we  should  have  that  many 
meetings  of  teachers  for  the  study  of  the  lesson  and  methods 


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HISTORIC  PLACES  IN  MARYLAND. 


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This  is  the  house  and  barn  of  Bishop  Joliii  Russell,  situated  in 
Maryland.  It  was  here  that  many  nieetings  were  held,  as  well  as  at 
the  Kemp  home  a  centur^  ago. 


Benjamin  Neidig  s  Home. 


George  Adam  Guething's  Home. 


liocK'*   Si'j;iN(;s  Sriiooi-iiuiSE. 


The  Next  Step  in  Sunday-School  Progress  81 

of  presentation.  I  shall  not  venture  a  guess  as  to  the  number 
actually  in  existence,  for  even  the  smallest  number  I  should 
select  might  be  far  in  advance  of  the  real  number.  Why  do 
we  not  have  them?  Not  because  they  are  not  helpful,  not  be^ 
cause  they  cannot  be  had,  but  either  because  there  is  no  one 
who  knows  how  to  organize  and  manage  them,  or  no  one  who 
is  willing  to  put  forth  the  necessary  effort.  If  Dr.  Mark  Hop- 
kins on  one  end  of  a  log  and  an  inquiring  student  on  the 
other  would  constitute  a  college,  and  that  is  probably  the  kind 
Paul  had,  an  earnest  aggressive  superintendent  or  pastor,  and 
one  teacher,  would  constitute  the  nucleus  of  a  teachers'  meet- 
ing. 

2.  Where  this  is  not  possible,  and  even  when  it  is  possible, 
in  addition  to  the  teachers'  meeting  every  teacher  should  be- 
come a  member  of  the  "Bible  Normal  Union,"  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  efficient  secretary  of  the  Sunday-School  Board,  and 
pursue  the  course  there  prescribed.  Over  five  thousand  have 
been  enrolled  already,  with  over  one  thousand  graduates,  and 
all  have  been  greatly  helped.  But  the  enrollment  should  be 
increased  to  twenty-five  thousand  before  it  would  exhaust  the 
teachers  of  the  Church.  Not  only  those  who  are  already  teach- 
ers, but  those  who  are  likely  to  be,  should  get  the  advantage  of 
this  Sunday-school  extension  course. 

3.  In  every  large  church  where  the  membership  will  allow, 
in  every  summer  school  that  may  be  started,  in  every  academy 
and  college  of  this  Church,  a  normal  class  should  be  organized, 
composed  of  the  best  minds  in  it,  and  they  be  taught  the  ele- 
mentary principles  of  mental  science,  as  well  as  the  organiza- 
tion and  management  of  Sabbath  schools.  I  have  tried  this, 
and  I  know  a  little  of  the  possibilities  of  such  a  course.  Soon 
after  the  Chautauqua  Normal  Course  was  published,  I  organ- 
ized such  a  class  at  Otterbein  University,  and  for  several 
years,  at  commencement  time,  graduated  a  normal  class  of 
from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  pupils.  These  went  out  into  the 
Church  and  became  active  leaders  to  help  others,  and  their 
efforts  have  borne  good  fruit.    Why  not  do  more  of  this  work  ? 


82  A  Century 

4.  Our  Biblical  Seminary  must  come  to  our  help,  and  give 
us  a  class  of  ministers  better  adapted  to  furnish  us  leaders. 
Where  there  is  a  good  school  there  is  usually  good  leadership. 
Some  one  has  said,  "Put  a  John  Wanamaker  into  any  mob  of 
a  school,  and  in  a  little  time  he  will  evolve  order  out  of  chaos." 
If  ministers  were  intensely  enthusiastic  for  teachers'  meet- 
ings, for  normal  classes,  for  the  use  of  modern  methods  of 
teaching,  would  we  not  have  more  of  them  ?  Dr.  A.  T.  Schauf- 
fler,  in  a  late  issue  of  the  Sunday  School  Times,  tells  us  why, 
in  the  Congregational  Church,  there  is  not  more  of  this  work 
done:  "In  the  seminary  from  which  these  ministers  came 
they  have  heard  lectures  on  the  church  fathers,  and  have  not 
learned  anything  about  the  church  sons.  They  know  a  good 
deal  about  Tertullian  and  Origen,  but  next  to  nothing  about 
Sam  and  Jim.  Endless  lectures  are  given  on  the  theme  of  how 
the  church  has  grown  to  be  what  it  now  is,  but  few  on  what 
to  do  to  make  the  church  more  like  what  it  should  be." 

Dr.  Schauffler  closes  his  interesting  article  with  this  appeal : 
"What,  then,  ought  to  be  done  in  our  seminaries  to  prepare 
the  men  for  such  work  as  is  suggested  ?  In  the  first  place  such 
work  ought  to  be  made  prominent.  It  will  not  do  to  have  lec- 
tures on  church  history  and  biblical  or  systematic  theology  put 
in  the  front  rank,  and  practical  Sunday-school  work  relegated 
to  a  back  seat,  and  put  aside  with  a  few  lectures  delivered  at 
such  odd  times  as  are  left.  To  do  this  is  to  stamp  the  thought 
cf  inferiority  and  unimportance  on  this  kind  of  work,  and  the 
student  will  be  quick  to  answer  such  suggestion.  If  a  hundred 
and  twenty  lectures  are  delivered  to  prepare  the  student  for 
his  sermonic  work,  and  only  half  a  dozen  on  the  Sunday- 
school  work,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  young  graduate 
comes  out  thinking  the  Sunday-school  part  of  his  work  of 
small  value  compared  with  his  sermonic  efforts  ?  Now,  it  being 
a  fact  that  the  average  pastor  must  look  more  to  his  Sunday 
school  for  new  church  members  than  to  the  outside  world,  should 
it  not  be  his  effort  so  to  manage  that  branch  of  his  work  as  to 
secure  there  the  best  spiritual  results  ?  Not  that  the  pastor  need 


The  Next  Step  in  /Sunday- School  Progress  83' 

himself  to  be  the  superintendent,  but  that  he  should  be  able  to 
fit  the  right  man  to  do  the  work  and  prepare  the  teachers  to 
teach  in  such  manner  as  to  secure  the  largest  spiritual  results. 
This,  however,  will  never  come  to  pass,  as  it  should,  until  our 
theological  seminaries  so  change  the  emphasis  of  their  lecture 
course  as  to  put  stress  on  this  side  of  the  work  of  the  future 
minister.  Then,  and  only  then,  shall  we  have  a  vast  army  of 
men  fitted  to  fit  others  for  this  grand  work  of  lifting  the  Sun- 
day school  up  to  the  highest  plane  that  it  can  occupy." 

Louis  Agassiz,  from  his  earliest  years  until  his  death,  was 
thoroughly  devoted  to  scientific  pursuits.  This  man  who 
gloried  in  writing  "teacher"  after  his  name,  the  highest  honor 
he  could  receive,  Vv^as  so  busy  he  had  not  time  to  make  money, 
and  yet  every  spare  dollar  went  for  the  prosecution  of  his  work. 
So  ardent  was  he  that  he  lived  among  the  specimens  he  was 
constantly  studying.  "It  is  said  a  lady  asked  him  at  a  dinner 
table  to  explain  the  difference  between  a  frog  and  a  toad.  The 
great  professor,  beaming  with  pleasure  at  not  being  taken  una- 
wares, dived  first  into  his  right  pocket,  and  then  into  his  left, 
produced  two  living  specimens,  and  then  and  there  made  the 
matter  plain  to  her.  One  of  the  Cambridge  anecdotes  con- 
cerning him  tells  (after  his  second  marriage)  of  his  wife's  cal- 
ling in  terror  from  her  dressing-room,  'There  's  a  snake  in  my 
shoe,'  and  of  Agassiz's  prompt  answer,  'One  snake;  but  where 
zen  are  ze  other  six.' "  We  need  men  as  devoted  to  Sunday- 
school  progress  as  Agassiz  was  to  science. 

Although  one  of  the  smallest  denominations,  we  have  had  for 
years  a  representative  in  the  International  Lesson  Committee. 
We  stand  in  the  estimation  of  these  international  workers  as 
among  the  most  aggressive  church  bodies.  We  have  usually 
a  fair  representation  at  all  the  State  and  international  gath- 
erings. We  have  enrolled  on  our  list  259,925  pupils,  and  36,- 
757  teachers  and  officers.  This  number  will  rapidly  increase 
as  we  push  our  "Cradle  Roll"  and  "Home  Department."  We 
already  have  53,000  more  enrolled  than  you  have  enrolled  on 
your  Church  records.    You  will  stop  and  think  when  I  tell  you 


84  A  Century 

the  best  statistics  we  can  gather  tell  us  that  eighty-three  per 
cent,  of  the  members  of  Christian  churches  come  from  the  Sab- 
bath school.  Here  is  the  hopeful  field  for  church  work.  We 
would  not  have  you  lessen  a  single  effort  for  the  seventeen  per 
cent,  who  are  outside  of  Sunday-school  influence,  but  if  you 
would  make  a  success  of  the  work  the  Master  has  committed 
to  you,  you  must  modify  your  methods  of  work,  and  grapple 
as  you  have  never  done  before  with  this  new  field.  Give  us  well- 
equipped  men  who  shall  lead  our  teachers  and  teach  our  teach- 
ers, who  shall  be  good  organizers  and  practical  helpers  as  well 
as  good  sermonizers,  and  ere  this  century  will  be  one-third 
gone,  we  shall  present  to  you  a  well-equipped  army  of  Christian 
soldiers,  that  shall  be  "comely  as  Jerusalem,  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners"  (S.  of  S.  6:4);  and  "mighty  before  God 
to  the  casting  down  of  strong  holds'^  (II.  Cor.  10: 4). 


PART  111. 
THE  CHURCH  AND  EDUCATION. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  EDUCATION 

IN  OUR  CHURCH. 

Bishop  E.  B.  Ejephart,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Education  and  religion,  properly  understood  and  adjusted, 
go  hand  in  hand  to  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  world's 
evangelization  and  civilization.  That  this  problem  is  yet  un- 
solved is  admitted;  that  the  church  of  Christ  is  vigorously 
engaged  in  its  solution  is  very  apparent.  These  two  factors  are 
counterparts  of  the  same  agency,  employed  by  our  Lord  in 
making  effectual  his  redemptive  work  for  the  family  of  man- 
kind, and  lifting  it  from  paganism  into  civilization  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  true  God. 

To  divorce  these  two  potent  agencies  leads  to  a  narrow  re- 
ligious intolerance  and  superstition  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on 
the  other,  to  egotistic  materialism  and  self-poised,  irrational 
conceit. 

Superstition  and  religious  intolerance  have  always  found 
their  most  fertile  soil  in  religious,  uneducated  ignorance;  and 
egotistic  materialism  and  self-poised,  skeptical  conceit  have 
found  theirs  in  intellectual  culture  completely  divorced  from 
religion.  The  founders  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ  were  aware  of  this  sad  dilemma  into  which  the  church 
of  Christ  had  so  often  slipped;  hence,  while  they  clearly  saw 
the  utility  of  intellectual  culture,  aye,  its  absolute  necessity  in 
their  church  work,  they,  at  the  same  time,  vigilantly  sought  to 

85 


86  A  Century 

avoid  its  divorcement  from  the  religious  life  of  the  Christian 
ministry.  Many  good  men,  both  educated  and  uneducated,  fail- 
ing to  recognize  this  distinction,  have  charged  the  fathers  of 
the  denomination  with  being  opposed  to  an  educated  ministry, 
and,  indeed,  to  education  in  general.  This,  however,  is  a  great 
mistake.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  in  this  connection  that 
Bishop  Otterbein,  the  father  of  the  denomination,  was  a  man 
of  scholastic  learning,  having  been  trained  in  the  universities 
of  the  Fatherland.  And,  while  it  is  true  that  a  number  of  our 
Church  fathers  had  not  the  benefits  of  collegiate  training,  yet 
they  were  profound  thinkers  and  educated  men  in  their  own 
way,  with  the  anointing  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  upon  them. 

While  the  denomination  may  have  been  a  little  tardy  in  com- 
mencing to  build  institutions  of  learning,  yet  the  work  of  edu- 
cation was  encouraged  and  carried  forward  in  a  private  way, 
both  among  the  ministry  and  laity  of  the  Church ;  and  Father 
Spayth  puts  it  well  when  he  says,  in  the  Religious  Telescope, 
Vol.  v.,  p.  336,  "Now  mark  me,  literary,  scientific,  and  re- 
ligious attainments,  we,  as  a  church  and  people,  have  always 
respected,  admired,  and  honored."  From  the  beginning,  two 
facts  have  been  adhered  to  in  our  educational  and  religious 
work;  First,  that  learning  is  not  the  primary,  but  the  second- 
ary means  or  help  in  the  gospel  method  of  saving  and  civilizing 
men;  second,  that  knowledge  is  not  the  "Bread  of  Life." 

It  is  rather  a  surprise,  however,  that  Bishop  Otterbein,  great 
scholar  as  he  was,  took  no  step  toward  establishing  a  school  of 
learning  for  his  Church.  And  it  was  not  until  almost  a  third 
of  a  century  after  his  death  that,  in  1845,  in  Circleville,  Ohio, 
^he  General  Conference  took  the  first  action  toward  founding 
an  institution  of  learning  for  the  denomination.  This  con- 
ference, v/hich  was  composed  of  twenty-four  delegates  and  three 
bishops,  Henry  Kumler,  Sr.,  John  Coons,  and  Henry  Kumler, 
Jr.,  discussed  the  subject  of  education  thoroughly,  and,  after 
due  deliberation,  by  almost  a  unanimous  vote,  passed  the  two 
following  resolutions : 

'^Resolved  1.  That  proper  measures  be  adopted  to  establish 
an  institution  of  learning. 


Histoiy  and  Developmevt  of  Education  87 

"2.  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  attention  of  the  annual 
conferences,  avoiding,  however,  irredeemable  debts." 

Doubtless,  it  was  the  thought  of  this  General  Conference 
that  but  one  school  should  then  be  established  for  the  denomi- 
nation, and  when  we  note  the  fact  that  its  membership  did  not 
number  above  thirty  thousand  communicants,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  thought  was  judicious  and  wise.  But  the  Church  at 
large  did  not  heed  the  wisdom  of  this  conference;  the  spirit 
of  college  building  was  contagious.  The  subject  having  re- 
ceived the  endorsement  of  the  General  Conference,  it  was  at 
once  taken  up  by  the  annual  conferences,  and  became  a  chief 
topic  of  discussion  in  those  bodies,  and  a  number  of  schools 
were  hastily  projected.  The  years  1846  and  1847  were  prolific 
in  our  history  for  projecting  educational  institutions.  In  1846, 
the  Miami  Conference  proposed  to  unite  with  the  conferences 
in  central  and  northern  Indiana  to  build  a  college  in  Bluffton, 
Ind. ;  the  St.  Joseph  Conference  also  fell  in  line  with  Miami, 
but  the  project  failed.  In  the  same  year,  Scioto  Conference, 
while  in  session  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  received  a  delega- 
tion from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  with  a  proposition 
to  transfer  Blendon  Young  Men's  Seminary,  located  at  Wester- 
ville,  Ohio,  to  the  conference,  if  the  conference  would  assume 
the  Seminary's  indebtedness,  which  amounted  to  $1,300.  The 
conference  accepted  the  proposition,  elected  a  board  of  trustees, 
and,  by  resolution,  invited  neighboring  conferences  to  cooper- 
ate. 

Early  in  1847,  the  Indiana  Conference,  in  session,  resolved 
to  build  a  college  either  in  Dublin  or  at  Washington,  in  that 
State,  but  the  college  did  not  materialize.  In  February  of  the 
same  year,  the  Allegheny  Conference  resolved  to  build  a  college 
in  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  or  Johnstown,  Pa.  The  resolution  was 
carried  into  effect.  The  college  was  located  in  Mt.  Pleasant, 
and,  in  1850,  Mt.  Pleasant  College  opened  its  doors  for  the 
reception  of  students.  In  1849,  the  Indiana  Conference  re- 
solved to  open  a  seminary  in  Hartsville,  Ind.  Subsequently, 
the  White  Iliver  Conference  indorsed  the  project,  and  later 
the  St.  Joseph  and  Wabash  Conferences  for  a  time  gave  it  nom- 


88  A  Century 

inal  support.  This  flattering  success  so  inspired  the  friends 
of  the  seminary  that  they  changed  the  name  of  the  school  to 
Hartsville  University.  In  1853,  the  Illinois  Conference  estab- 
lished Blandinville  Seminary,  in  Blandinville,  111.  Also,  about 
the  same  time  the  Michigan  Conference  accepted  a  transfer  of 
the  Michigan  Union  College,  located  at  Leoni,  Mich.,  from 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church.  Thus,  in  quick  succession, 
came  the  different  schools  in  our  early  educational  beginnings. 
The  location  of  many  of  these  schools  was  equally  unwise  as 
was  their  number.  In  1855,  the  Iowa  Conference,  in  session 
in  Muscatine,  Iowa,  resolved  to  build  a  college  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  and,  in  February,  1856,  the  trustees  located  West- 
ern College  in  Western,  Linn  County,  Iowa,  and,  January  1, 
1857,  its  doors  were  opened  to  students.  Between  eleven  and 
twelve  o'clock  at  night,  January  1,  1881,  the  trustees  of  this 
college,  at  a  special  session,  which  session  had  been  arranged 
for  at  their  previous  meeting,  in  June,  1880,  relocated  the  col- 
lege at  Toledo,  Iowa,  their  action  to  go  into  effect  at  the  close 
of  the  spring  term  of  1881,  and  the  fall  term  of  the  same  year 
to  open  in  Toledo,  Iowa,  which  was  carried  out  to  the  letter. 

Westfield  College,  Westfield,  111.,  was  opened  in  1865,  and  Lane 
University,  Lecompton,  Kan.,  about  the  same  time;  also,  Leb- 
anon Valley  College,  Annville,  Pa.,  in  1866 ;  Philomath  College, 
Philomath,  Ore.,  in  1867 ;  Avalon  College,  Avalon,  Mo.,  in  1869, 
relocated  in  Trenton,  Mo. ;  Shenandoah  Institute,  Dayton,  Va., 
in  1876;  Edwards  Academy,  Greenville,  Tenn.,  in  1877,  relo- 
cated in  White  Pine,  Tenn.;  San  Joaquin  College, Woodbridge, 
Cal.,  in  1879;  West  Virginia  Classical  and  Normal  Academy, 
Buckhannon,  W.  Va.,  in  1881;  Sugar  Grove  Seminary,  Sugar 
Grove,  Pa.,  in  1884;  and  York  College,  York,  Neb.,  in  1890. 
Many  other  schools  have  been  started  in  our  Church,  some  by 
private  enterprise,  and  some  otherwise.  The  following  is  quite 
a  correct  list  of  other  institutions,  as  given  by  Dr.  Berger,  in 
his  United  Brethren  Church  history :  Eoanoke  Seminary,  Roa- 
noke, Ind. ;  Green  Hill  Seminary,  Green  Hill,  Ind.;  Fostoria 
Academy,  Fostoria,  Ohio;  Elroy  Institute,  Elroy,  Wis.;  Dover 
Academy,  Dover,  111. ;  Ontario  Academy,  Port  Elgin,  Ontario ; 


History  and  Development  of  Education  89 

Washington  Seminary,  Huntsville,  Wash.;  Sublimity  College, 
Oregon;  Central  College,  Kan.;  Gould  College,  Harlan,  Kan., 
now  united  with  Lane  University,  Lecompton,  Kan.;  North 
Manchester  College,  North  Manchester,  Ind. ;  and  the  Rufus 
Clark  and  Wife  Training  School,  Shengeh,  West  Africa. 

While  the  Church,  with  a  becoming  vigor,  commenced  to 
build  its  schools  in  1846,  yet  it  was  twenty-four  years  later  be- 
fore any  direct  action  was  taken  by  the  denomination  to  estab- 
lish a  theological  school  for  the  special  training  of  her  min- 
isters. The  General  Conference  of  1865  recommended  that 
special  Biblical  studies  be  given  in  the  colleges  of  the  Church. 
But  in  1869,  at  Lebanon,  Pa.,  the  General  Conference,  there 
assembled,  passed  the  following  resolution:  "Resolved,  That 
the  Board  of  Education  be  instructed  to  devise  and  adopt  a  plan 
for  the  founding  of  a  biblical  institute,  to  be  under  the  control 
of  the  General  Conference ;  and  said  board  is  hereby  instructed 
and  empowered  to  take  measures  to  raise  funds  and  locate  said 
institution,  and  to  proceed  with  its  establishment  as  soon  as 
practicable."  This  resolution  was,  with  good  cheer,  adopted, 
and  a  Board  of  Education  elected,  as  follows:  Revs.  Lewis 
Davis,  D.  D.,  Daniel  Shuck,  W.  C.  Smith,  Milton  Wright,  E.  B. 
Kephart,  D.  Eberly,  S.  Weaver,  P.  B.  Lee,  W.  S.  Titus,  and 
E.  Light.  This  committee  met  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  July  27,  1870, 
and  located  Union  Biblical  Seminary  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  In 
1871,  the  board  met  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  August  2,  and  elected  Dr. 
Lewis  Davis,  president  of  Otterbein  University,  and  Rev. 
George  A.  Funkhouser,  A.  B.,  as  teachers  of  the  Seminary,  to 
open  the  institution  for  students  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
The  Executive  Committee  added  to  the  faculty  Rev.  J.  P. 
Landis,  A.  B.,  shortly  after,  and  the  Seminary  was  opened  with 
three  professors  as  its  faculty.  This  school  has  done  much  for 
the  Church,  and  its  growth  has  been  far  above  what,  in  reason, 
could  have  been  expected.  Few  schools  of  its  character  and 
grade,  if  any,  in  our  country,  have  a  larger  number  of  students 
at  the  present  time  than  Union  Biblical  Seminary.  While 
it  was  commenced  with  nothing  in  the  way  of  funds  or  equip- 


90  A  Century 

ment,  except  five  acres  of  ground  as  a  site,  it  now  has  an  en- 
dowment of  $99,794.39,  and  a  library  of  about  3,000  volumes. 

From  its  list  of  schools,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  our  de- 
nomination has  not  been  slack  in  commencing  to  build  insti- 
tutions of  learning.  That,  in  this  direction,  there  has  been,  at 
times,  more  zeal  than  knowledge  manifested  will  scarcely  be 
questioned  by  the  thoughtful.  This  grew  out  of  the  fact  that 
the  Church  has  not  come  to  a  conscious  knowledge  that  de- 
nominational schools  were  not  money-making  institutions,  but 
were,  in  a  sense,  charitable.  In  locating  these  schools,  due  con- 
sideration was  greatly  lacking,  and,  as  a  result  of  this  undue 
haste,  we  have  scarcely  one  institution  but  that  at  some  time  a 
project  has  been  set  on  foot  to  relocate  the  school,  or  a  move 
made  in  that  direction.  Indeed,  from  the  fact  of  out-of-the- 
way  locations,  some  of  our  institutions  had  to  be  relocated  at 
much  cost  to  the  Church,  and  others  have  perished  from  no 
other  cause  than  being  placed  where  it  was  not  practicable  for 
the  public  to  reach  them.  In  taking  a  survey  of  our  education- 
al work,  it  would  seem  to  have  been  a  principle,  sacred  with 
those  who  had  to  do  with  the  locating  of  our  schools,  to  put 
them  as  far  away  from  the  masses  of  the  people  as  they  well 
could,  and  where  access  to  them  would  be  as  difficult  as  possi- 
ble. All  this  can  be  accounted  for  in  two  ways:  First,  it  was 
peculiar  to  the  age  to  locate  institutions  of  learning  in  small 
towns  and  away  from  great  thoroughfares;  second,  the  found- 
ers of  our  schools  were  not  college  men,  and  they  followed  in 
the  wake  of  others. 

Now,  when  it  is  remembered  that  when  we  commenced  our 
educational  work  the  men  whom  we  had  to  place  at  the  head 
of  our  institutions,  and,  for  all  that,  all  of  our  first  instructors, 
were  educated  and  trained  in  schools  not  our  own,  for  we  had 
none  in  which  to  train  them,  the  growth  and  development  of 
education  in  the  denomination  is  really  marvelous.  It  has 
always  been  a  surprise  to  me,  and  now  is,  not  that  we  have 
made  some  mistakes  in  our  educational  work,  but  that  we  have 
made  so  few.    As  a  rule,  our  institutions  are  now  well  located. 


History  and  Development  of  Education  91 

It  can  be  said  in  truth,  also,  that  they  never  were  so  well  equip- 
ped and  meeting  the  demands  of  the  Church  as  now.  And, 
while  they  are  not  all  free  from  debt  and  properly  endowed,  the 
Church  never  was  so  willing  and  so  able  to  lift  these  debts  and 
endow  her  schools  as  at  the  present.  The  Church  is  now  con- 
scious that  her  schools  are  great  centers  of  spiritual  life  and 
power,  and  the  proper  place  for  her  sons  and  daughters  to  re- 
ceive their  training  for  life  work.  In  one  respect,  especially 
in  the  beginning  of  her  educational  work,  our  Church  took 
an  advance  step,  and  has  successfully  developed  the  theory  of 
mixed  schools.  When  she  opened  her  first  institution  it  was 
alike  free  to  her  daughters  and  to  her  sons;  and  so  successful 
has  she  been  in  developing  that  free  and  broad  principle  that 
she  has  had  the  good  pleasure  of  seeing  the  great  universities 
of  our  country  throw  open  their  doors  alike  to  ladies  and  gentle- 
men. In  all  her  institutions  of  learning  the  sexes  have  been, 
and  are  now,  admitted  on  an  equality,  and  her  system  of  in- 
struction is  on  an  equality  with  the  best  in  the  land.  Men  who 
have  not  been  directly  connected  with  the  subject  of  education 
in  our  schools  often  criticize  the  management,  but  it  is  a  fact 
above  question  that  with  the  amount  of  means  at  their  com- 
mand, our  schools  have  accomplished  more  accordingly  than 
any  class  of  church  schools  in  our  country.  At  the  present 
we  have  more  students  in  our  institutions  than  at  any  previous 
period  in  our  history,  and  the  work  done  in  these  schools  is  up 
to  the  best  of  like  grade  anywhere.  So  rapid  and  deep  has  been 
the  development  of  this  subject  among  our  people  that  even 
the  most  humble  of  our  country  congregations  demand  a 
trained  man  as  their  pastor  and  spiritual  advisor.  Not  only 
has  this  development  come  in  literature  and  science,  but  in 
music  and  art  as  well,  so  that  at  the  present  it  is  the  voice  of 
our  beloved  Zion,  "Let  everything  that  hath  breath  praise  the 
Lord."  Also,  the  temper  of  the  mind  of  our  people  has 
undergone  a  great  change  in  the  history  and  development  of 
education  among  us,  which  vitally  aifects  our  ministry.  There 
has  been  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  weight  of  authority  of 
the  clergy  during  this  period,  and  the  sources  of  recognized 


92  A  Century 

authority  are  different  from  what  they  were  at  the  opening  of 
our  history.  The  divine  right  of  the  clergy  among  Protestants  is 
as  dead  as  is  the  divine  right  of  kings  in  this  country.  Rant 
and  cant  in  the  pulpit  are  no  longer  recognized  as  weight  of 
authority,  or  received  as  evidence  of  piety.  As  President 
Charles  W.  Eliot  has  said:  "The  authority  of  the  minister  is 
now  derived  from  the  purity  and  strength  of  his  character, 
from  the  vigor  of  his  intellect  and  the  depth  of  his  learning, 
and  from  the  power  of  his  speech.  Candor,  knowledge,  wisdom, 
and  love  can  only  give  him  authority  with  the  people." 

We  stand  on  the  threshold  of  the  twentieth  century  with  our 
educational,  our  missionary,  yes,  all  our  general  and  special 
Church  work.  God  help  us  to  be  true.  Coming  events  thicken 
fast  on  the  dial  of  time,  the  rolling  wheels  of  God  run  swift 
and  high,  but  never  backward.  To-day  a  decade  of  years  is 
enough  to  revolutionize  the  world;  the  deep,  hidden  forces  of 
truth  now  sway  the  very  scaffold  erected  by  its  enemies  for 
its  execution,  and  the  sound  of  the  goings  of  God  is  heard 
throughout  the  whole  earth.  "Signs  in  the  sun  and  moon  ap- 
pear, the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring,  and  the  powers  of  heaven 
are  shaken."  The  great,  seething,  surging  sea  of  humanity  is 
to-day  as  the  rushing  in  of  the  tide,  the  nations  are  running 
to  and  fro  through  the  earth,  and  knowledge  is  increasing,  and 
all  things  are  replete  with  change  and  revolution,  that  the  rub- 
bish which  floated  to  us  from  antiquity  may  give  place  to  the 
"new  heaven  and  the  new  earth,  in  which  dwelleth  righteous- 


THE  IMPERATIVE  NEED  OF  A  CULTURED 
MINISTRY. 

G.    A.   FUNKHOUSER,   D.  D. 

"What  you  are,"  said  Emerson,  "speaks  so  loud  that  I  cannot 
hear  what  you  say." 

"A  sage  is  the  instructor  of  a  hundred  ages." 

A  greater  than  Emerson  said,  "The  life  was  the  light  of 
men."  So  what  the  minister  speaks  cannot  be  considered  apart 
from  what  he  is  in  his  own  personality.  What  Jesus  said  and 
did  would  long  since  have  fallen  to  the  ground  powerless,  even 
as  water  spilled  upon  the  ground  cannot  be  gathered  up,  but 
for  the  infiniteness  of  the  person  back  of  all  he  said.  So  of 
Paul  and  of  every  one  who  has  served  men  and  glorified  God — 
the  greatness  of  the  person  must  be  taken  into  account  along 
with  the  greatness  of  the  work  done. 

Then,  we  are  agreed  in  this  day  and  in  this  intelligent  as- 
sembly, (it  was  not  always  so,)  that  there  is  not  the  slightest 
antagonism  between  culture  and  spirituality — the  highest  cul- 
ture and  the  highest  spirituality,  nay,  rather,  that  the  one  im- 
plies the  other,  and  that  the  one  cannot  be  separated  from  the 
other.  Were  proof  needed,  we  should  call  for  Paul,  some  of  the 
martyrs,  Augustine,  the  early  reformers,  for  Luther  and  Cal- 
vin, for  the  Wesleys,  Knox,  Jonathan  Edwards,  George  Miiller, 
master  of  nine  languages,  Hudson  Taylor,  Andrew  Murray, 
J.  G.  Paton,  and  Otterbein. 

Otterbein!  In  his  early  years  cultured  in  the  schools.  Do 
not  his  entire  life  and  work  prove  that  there  is  no  antagonism 
between  the  highest  culture  and  the  deepest  spirituality  ?  Had 
one  or  the  other  been  wanting  in  him,  would  this  centennial 
celebration  have  been  a  possibility?  Call  Otterbein,  then,  and 
the  great  cloud  of  worthies  saved  by  this  Church  standing  with 
him  before  the  throne,  to  testify  that  culture  is  not  a  foe  to 
spirituality,  but  a  great  aid  in  deepening  the  life  in  union  with 
God. 

93 


94  A  Century 

The  subject  as  stated  is,  "The  Imperative  Need  of  a  Cul- 
tured Ministry."  A  cultured  ministry!  What  are  we  to  un- 
derstand by  culture'^  "It  denotes  a  high  development  of  the 
best  qualities  of  man's  mental  and  spiritual  nature,  with  espe- 
cial reference  to  the  aesthetic  faculties  and  to  graces  of  speech 
and  manner,  regarded  as  the  expression  of  a  refined  nature. 
Culture,  in  the  fullest  sense,  denotes  that  degree  of  refinement 
and  development  which  results  from  continued  cultivation 
through  successive  generations.  A  man's  faculties  may  be 
brought  to  a  high  degree  of  cultivation,  while  he  himself  re- 
mains uncultured,  even  to  the  extent  of  coarseness  and  rude- 
ness." 

Culture  is  what  the  Greeks  expressed  by  Trauhia  "disci- 
pline," and  the  Romans  by  humanitas,  "the  state  or  quality  of 
being  humane,"  the  highest  and  most  harmonious  culture  of 
all  the  human  faculties  and  powers.  Culture,  therefore,  does 
not  isolate  its  possessor  from  his  fellows,  but  rather  the  more 
identifies  him  with  everything  which  concerns  their  highest 
well  being. 

Further,  it  has  been  stated  that  culture  has  in  it  the  element 
of  politeness,  which  is  more  than  civility.  A  civil  person  ob- 
serves such  propriety  of  speech  and  manner  as  to  avoid  being 
rude;  one  who  is  polite  (literally,  polished)  observes  more  than 
the  necessary  proprieties,  conforming  to  all  that  is  graceful,  be- 
coming, and  thoughtful  in  the  intercourse  of  refined  society, 
cares  for  the  opinions  of  others,  and,  in  the  highest  and  truest 
sense,  cares  for  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  others  in  the 
smallest  matters.  It  is  synonymous  with  accomplished,  cour- 
teous, courtly,  cultivated,  genteel,  gracious.  So  that  culture 
pertains  to  every  faculty,  every  power,  and  every  element  in 
man's  complex  nature.  It  is  the  flowering  and  fruitage  of  edu- 
cation, going  out  in  many  directions,  and,  like  the  aroma  of 
the  ointment  from  love's  alabaster  box,  it  fills  the  house  and 
goes  into  all  the  world  for  a  witness.  It  is  the  opposite  of 
coarseness,  grossness,  rudeness,  vulgarity. 

Culture  is  ChristliJceness.  How  refined,  polite,  humane  he 
was !    Upon  what  a  high  plane  as  a  man  he  moved  among  men ! 


Imperative  Need  of  a  Cultured  Ministry 95 

Like  Terrence,  he  seemed  to  say,  "I  am  a  man,  and  nothing 
that  belongs  to  man  is  foreign  to  me."  Real  culture,  then,  im- 
plies that  its  possessor  has  all  the  faculties  and  powers  of  a 
man,  that  these  are  present,  not  in  a  weak  or  imperfect  degree, 
but  developed  into  the  highest  activity  and  efficiency,  and  in- 
creasingly from  day  to  day. 

Having  considered  what  culture  is,  and  that  it  is  not  a  foe, 
but  a  handmaid,  if  not  the  twin  sister  of  spirituality,  we  are 
now  prepared  to  consider  "The  Imperative  Need  of  a  Cultured 
Ministry." 

1.  The  imperative  need  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  min- 
ister is  a  man,  and  capable  of  culture.  Were  he  an  angel,  it 
might  be  different,  although  an  angel,  being  finite,  is  capable 
of  growth  in  knowledge,  hence  of  efficiency  in  service.  Made 
in  the  likeness  and  image  of  his  God,  his  own  highest  well- 
being  demands  that  every  power  be  developed  to  its  utmost 
limit — not  one  lying  dormant.  He  requires  it  for  himself, 
that  he  may  be  a  man  of  vision,  a  man  of  large  and  powerful 
conceptions,  a  man  of  capacity  to  inspire  others;  to  make  him 
great  in  sympathy,  having  "largeness  of  heart  like  the  sand 
of  the  seashore."  He  requires  it  to  make  him  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart  and  apostolic  in  his  view  of  Christ  and  Christianity 
for  his  day.  It  takes  an  educated  mind  to  be  ambitious.  "An 
educated  mind  that  makes  one  eager  for  knowledge  is  a  thing 
that  has  not  come  to  India  yet,"  said  Miss  Singh,  in  New  York, 
at  the  Ecumenical  Conference  on  Missions,  and  it  has  not  come 
to  many  a  minister  in  this  country,  3,000  of  whom  can  neither 
read  nor  write.  The  greatest  success  depends,  not  so  much  upon 
the  number  of  the  men  who  go  into  the  ministry,  or  are  sent 
out  as  missionaries,  as  upon  the  mental  and  spiritual  quality 
of  those  who  do  go  or  are  sent.  "The  need — the  imperative 
need — is  not  for  more  men,  but  for  more  man."  It  is  not 
truth  alone  that  is  to  do  the  work,  nor  the  minister  alone,  but 
truth  through  an  educated,  cultured,  enlarged,  electrified  per- 
son. "The  man  who  has  prepared  himself  is  the  fittest,  and 
the  fittest  will  survive.  Some  men  make  light  of,  and  even 
despise  preparation.    These  are  not  the  fittest,  and  do  not  sur- 


96  A  Century 

vive  in  the  struggle.  Much  less  will  they  survive  in  the  age 
that  is  coming."  Chrysostom  said,  all  the  men  of  his  time  to- 
gether could  not  do  as  much  as  Paul's  handkerchief. 

2.  The  imperative  need  of  culture  grows  out  of  the  fact 
that  he  is  not  only  a  man,  but  a  minister — an  ambassador  in 
behalf  of  Christ,  as  though  God  were  entreating  by  him — a  min- 
ister having  high  priestly  functions  to  stand  between  the  people 
and  God,  to  offer  and  to  intercede  in  behalf  of  the  people,  to 
be  the  medium  through  whom  the  mind  of  God  is  made  known 
to  the  people,  and  the  wants  of  the  people  made  known  to  God. 
What  degree  of  culture  is  sufficient  to  know  the  mind  of  God 
ill  his  Word,  and  then  accurately  convey  it  to  the  people! 
Then  what  breadth,  what  largeness  of  heart,  what  tact  to  know 
the  deep  and  ever-varying  needs  of  the  people,  in  order  that 
he  may  adapt  rightly  the  truth  of  God  to  their  needs  and  to 
present  unctuously  and  prevailingly  their  wants  to  God  in 
prayer,  public  and  private !  "As  our  denomination  is  the  irre- 
sistible outgrowth  of  the  new  life  in  Christ  which  was  first 
wrought  in  the  soul  of  Otterbein,  and  which  burned  and  glowed 
like  divine  fire  in  his  cultivated  brain  and  heart,"  as  the  Ref- 
ormation of  the  sixteenth  century  was  first  in  Luther,  so  all 
that  a  congregation  should  be  and  do  must  first  be  in  the  min- 
ister. Is  it  revival,  world-wide  missions,  enlarged  liberality, 
circulation  of  literature?  Then  first  in  the  minister,  and  if 
not  there,  then  they  will  never  be  facts  in  the  congregation. 
Because  the  man  is  a  minister,  culture  is  an  imperative  need. 
One  said :  "Otterbein  was  a  typical  German,  and  a  young  man 
of  excellent  furnishing.  He  was  a  good  scholar,  a  fine  thinker, 
an  able  preacher,  and  a  zealous  missionary."  Are  we  loyal  sons 
of  such  a  father?  Will  these  old  hills  and  mountains,  these 
houses,  barns,  and  streams  say  of  us  celebrating  this  centennial, 
"These  men  look  and  act  like  Otterbein,  whom  we  used  to 
know!" 

3.  Culture  is  the  imperative  need  because  the  man-minister 
is  the  servant  of  the  most  high  God.  Of  this  exalted  relation- 
ship and  service  the  greatest  apostle  says,  "Who  is  sufficient?" 
We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the  excellency  of 


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Imperative  Need  of  a  Cultured  Ministry  97 

the  power  may  be  of  God  and  not  of  us.  It  is  the  service  of 
him  before  whom  the  most  exalted,  sinless  beings  cover  their 
feet  and  faces  as  they  contemplate  his  glory.  Culture,  yes,  the 
highest  culture  is  too  little  with  which  to  serve  the  Redeemer 
and  the  redeemed. 

4.  A  cultured  ministry  is  imperative  in  this  day  because  all 
other  professions  and  vocations  demand  and  enforce  a  higher 
standard  of  qualification.  The  training,  too,  must  be  special. 
As  a  result,  technical  schools  have  sprung  up  all  over  the  coun- 
try, and  into  night  schools  have  crowded,  in  the  last  few  years, 
25,000  more  young  men  than  are  in  all  the  universities  of  this 
country.  They  are  forced  to  this  in  order  to  hold  their  posi- 
tions in  factories,  which  demand  an  increasing  efficiency.  The 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  who  had  a  college  education  was,  a  few 
years  ago,  the  exception,  but  now  the  one  who  has  not  both  the 
college  and  special  secretarial  training  is  fast  becoming  the 
exception.  Colleges  are  being  searched  for  trained  men  to 
take  responsible  positions.  In  medicine,  law,  dentistry,  en- 
gineering of  all  branches  the  standard  courses  are  being  length- 
ened, and  requirements,  both  for  entrance  and  for  graduation, 
are  being  raised.  In  view  of  these  facts,  is  not  the  need  for  a 
cultured  ministry  imperative'^ 

5.  A  cultured  ministry  is  imperative  "because  the  under- 
graduate is  studying  the  world  as  never  before;  is  feeling  in 
his  fresh  young  heart  the  thrill  of  a  new  conception  of  applied 
Christianity;  is  realizing  Christ's  love  and  Christ's  present 
salvation  for  this  world  in  terms  of  reality."  Imperative  be- 
cause the  educational  function  and  power  of  the  pastor  cannot 
be  overstated.  Imperative,  too,  because  he  must  direct  the 
church  intelligence,  for  knowledge  is  the  true  and  substantial 
hasis  of  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
Imperative  because  the  minister  must  awaken  the  attention 
of  apathetic  minds  and  must  overcome  the  unrestrained  preju- 
dice in  many  minds.  Imperative,  too,  because  of  the  nature 
of  the  truth  he  must  first  discover,  possess,  and  assimilate,  and 
then  so  convey  to  others  that  they  see  as  he  sees,  and  then  in- 
carnate the  truth  he  lives  and  teaches. 

7 


98  A  Century 

6.  A  cultured  ministry  is  an  imperative  need  because  the 
pulpit  is  still  the  only  college  and  university  many  a  worthy 
boy  and  aspiring  girl  will  ever  get  to  attend — the  only  chance 
to  get  any  idea  of  true  culture  and  the  correct  standard  of  life 
and  of  its  limitless  possibilities.  Give  the  6,000,000  young  peo- 
ple enrolled  as  Endeavorers  and  in  other  kindred  organizations 
cultured,  efficient,  world-wide,  inspiring  leadership,  and  who 
could  even  surmise  the  results  in  the  next  few  years  that  would 
come  to  the  reign  of  our  risen  Lord  on  earth? 

7.  Culture  in  the  ministry  is  imperative  because  of  the  new 
century  possibilities.  As  the  early  history  of  any  denomination 
is  largely  the  history  of  the  individuals  who  were  the  provi- 
dential instruments  in  its  origin,  so,  in  some  degree,  the  next 
one  hundred  years  of  the  Church  is  locked  up  in  the  brain, 
heart,  and  lives  of  the  ministry  and  laity  of  this  General  Con- 
ference. What  this  century  has  been  in  our  history  was  locked 
up  in  the  cultured  brain  and  heart  of  Otterbein.  Oh,  that 
there  were  1,000  Otterbeins  among  us  to  put  the  stamp  of  their 
cultured  personality  upon  the  Church,  and  lead  her  out  into  the 
new  century  upon  which  we  are  just  entering!  Culture  is 
imperative  because  the  minister  is  an  organizer,  even  as  Paul 
and  Jesus  arranged  that  the  work  begun  by  them  should  go 
on;  that  the  new  life  generated  should  form  for  itself  a  body, 
in  order  to  protect  and  preserve  the  life  and  for  the  growth  of 
that  life.  Imperative  because  the  chief  function  of  the  min- 
ister is  teaching,  and  to  teach  he  must  know  the  mind  of  God, 
and  the  needs  of  men.  Imperative  because  in  his  work  and 
influence  the  minister  must  be  world-wide.  He  cannot  rest  or 
cease  his  effort  until  all  his  people  are  identified  with  one  or 
more  of  the  world-wide  movements  of  this  throbbing  and  elec- 
trifying age.  Imperative  because  he  is  called  of  God  to  lead- 
ership in  the  armies  of  the  living  God,  and,  like  a  wise,  able, 
trained  general,  he  will  not  be  satisfied  while  any  part  of  his 
command  is  asleep  in  the  camp  or  resting  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees.  His  battle-cry  as  he  leads  his  charge  from  victory 
to  victory  is,  "The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ;  the  God  of  Jacob 
is  our  refuge."    He  plans  an  aggressive  campaign — an  advance 


Imperative  Need  of  a  Cultured  Ministry  99 

in  every  department,  saying,  "The  God  of  heaven  he  will  help 
us,  therefore  we  his  servants  will  arise  and  build." 

8.  A  cultured  ministry  is  imperative  because  of  the  in- 
creased interest  in  Bible  study  in  all  churches,  the  higher  stand- 
ard of  living  which  will  be  the  inevitable  result,  and  the  great 
revival  which  many  of  the  watchmen  on  the  walls  have  seen 
from  afar. 

9.  Imperative  because  the  history  of  all  reformations  and 
religious  movements  is  either  the  history  of  men  of  culture 
obtained  in  the  schools  or  the  history  of  men  like  Moody  and 
Spurgeon,  who  were  led  to  found  schools  for  the  high  culture 
of  which  they  felt  they  had  been  deprived.  Not  every  successf 
ful  general  of  our  Civil  War  was  trained  in  a  military  school, 
but  the  undeniable  fact  still  remains  that  by  far  the  largest 
majority  of  them  were  so  trained. 

10.  Imperative  because  the  history  of  the  pulpit  in  America, 
England,  Scotland,  indeed,  of  all  lands  in  all  time  is  the  his- 
tory of  men  of  culture.  Because,  too,  the  progress  of  the  church 
in  all  ages  has  been  in  exact  proportion  to  the  culture  and 
piety  of  the  ministry,  and  whenever  and  wherever  these  have 
not  been  emphasized  there  has  always  been  decline. 

11.  Culture  is  imperative  because  from  the  ranks  of  the 
cultured  ministry  are  drawn  the  presidents  of  academies,  col- 
leges, and  universities,  in  which  are  mobilized  the  mightiest 
armies  of  the  strong,  aspiring,  heroic  youth,  destined  to  rule 
the  world.  How  imperatively  important  that  the  highest  ideals 
of  manhood  and  service  for  mankind  be  set  before  them.  "En- 
terprises started  in  Otterbein's  time  have  extended  their  results 
in  permanent  features  of  the  congregation  down  to  this  day." 
In  one  hundred  years  of  progress  the  ideals  of  his  cultured 
mind  have  not  been  eclipsed.  Of  Baxter,  who  lives  to-day,  it 
has  been  said:  "To  look  at  his  controversial  works,  overladen 
with  enormous  quotations  from  Chrysostom,  Jerome,  Scotus, 
the  reformers,  and  the  very  Jesuits,  you  would  say  he  was  never 
out  of  his  study ;  to  look  at  his  preachings,  catechisings,  visits, 
and  his  imprisonments,  you  would  say  he  was  never  in  it." 
"As  plants  convert  minerals  into  food  for  animals,  so  each  man 


100  A  Century 

converts  some  raw  material  in  nature  to  human  use."  More 
by  how  much  should  every  minister  convert  the  grace  and  power 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  into  the  use  of  the  people  whom  he 
seeks  to  serve! 

12.  The  need  of  a  cultured  ministry  is  imperative  because, 
in  the  last  place,  it  is  God's  order  in  the  selection  of  religious 
teachers.  Moses,  who  endured  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible, 
was  cultured  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  and  then  for 
forty  years  was  under  the  direct  tuition  of  God  in  the  desert. 
Everything  indicates  that  Aaron,  the  priest,  who  was  selected 
by  God  to  represent  the  devotional  features  of  that  great  dis- 
pensation, was  no  less  cultured  than  his  distinguished  brother, 
for  God  said  of  him,  "I  know  he  can  speak  well."  We  know 
what  he  and  all  priests  were  to  be  physically — without  blemish, 
and  what  they  were  morally — holy,  and  intellectually  they  were 
the  peers  and,  in  many  instances,  the  superiors  of  those  ruling 
the  nation. 

The  imperative  need  of  a  cultured  ministry,  then,  grows  out 
of  the  fact  that  the  minister  is  a  man ;  that  the  man  is  a  min- 
ister; that  the  cultured  man  and  minister  is  the  servant  of  the 
most  high  God;  that  other  professions  enforce  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  culture;  that  the  undergraduate  is  pressing  his  in- 
quiries; that  new  century  possibilities  crowd  upon  him;  that 
intelligent  Bible  study  is  more  universal;  that  reformations 
and  religious  movements  have  originated  in  schools;  that  the 
history  of  the  pulpit  in  all  ages  and  all  lands  is  the  history  of 
men  of  culture;  that  cultured  men  are  chosen  to  occupy  the 
great  centers  of  learning,  which  determine  so  largely  the  weal 
or  woe  of  the  church,  the  state,  and  hence  the  world ;  and,  lastly, 
a  cultured  ministry  is  absolutely  imperative  because  it  is  God's 
07vn  method  in  supplying  religious  leaders  for  his  people,  as 
evidenced  in  history  and  in  his  Word. 


THE  MISSION  OF  THE  DENOMINATIONAL 
COLLEGE. 

Eev.  T.  J.  Sanders,  Ph.D. 

The  question  of  education  is  old;  but  it  is  ever  new,  and 
newer  and  fresher  to-day  than  ever  before.  More  and  more  do  we 
see  the  primacy  of  mind  in  the  world,  as  we  will  ultimately  see 
its  primacy  in  the  universe.  With  every  degree  of  self-trans- 
fcrmation  and  self -subjugation  man  has  power  to  transform 
and  subjugate  in  the  outer  world.  These  have  ever  kept  pace 
with  each  other.  One  is  the  measure  of  the  other.  Logically, 
self-mastery  precedes  world  dominion  and  leads  the  way,  but 
chronologically  they  go  hand  in  hand.  The  activities  in  the 
external  world  are  like  the  thunder  and  lightning  and  quaking 
.and  whirlwind,— showy,  noisy,  obtrusive,— while  the  trans- 
formations and  subjugations  in  the  internal  world  are  akin 
to  the  still,  small  voice,  silent,  hidden,  unobtrusive. 

When  men  speak  of  this  wonderful  age  and  its  grand 
achievements,  we  all  think  at  once  of  objective  and  material 
things.  We  do  not  realize  that  these  are  triumphs  of  mind. 
But  whether  we  think  it  or  not,  it  is  nevertheless  true.  We 
do  not  realize  it,  yet  education  is  the  means  of  self-develop- 
ment, the  means  of  mastery  of  nature  and  nature's  forces.  If 
this  is  an  age  of  marvelous  activity  in  the  external  world,  it 
is  also  an  age  of  marvelous  activity  in  the  internal,  or  mental 
world. 

The  education  of  a  human  soul,  in  the  broadest  and  fullest 
sense  of  the  term,  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world— the  pur- 
pose of  the  world.  This  end  should  subordinate  and  unify  all 
other  ends.  It  should  inspire  us  to  a  holy  ambition  to  accom- 
plish the  same.  The  world,  as  a  pulsating,  throbbing  organism, 
is  a  process  of  evolution— a  procession,  a  "double  procession,'' 
as  we  learn  in  theology.  The  whole  creation  groans  and  tra- 
vails, and  the  highest  product  is  the  birth  of  a  soul.     From 


102  A  Cenfwy 

lower  to  higher  the  procession  moves,  till  psychic  life  emerges 
from  the  world.  With  this  the  summit  is  reached.  Says 
Emerson,  "It  is  a  sufficient  account  of  that  appearance  we  call 
the  world  that  God  would  educate  a  human  mind."  The  soul 
arises  out  of  the  world,  and  over  against  it  stands  the  world  for 
its  discipline  and  illumination.  The  birth  and  probation  of 
souls  is  the  past,  present,  or  future  purpose  of  all  worlds. 

"The  baby  new  to  earth  and  sky, 

What  time  his  tender  palm  is  prest 
Against  the  circle  of  the  breast, 
Has  never  thought  that  'this  is  I.' 

"But  as  he  grows  he  gathers  much 
And  learns  the  use  of  'I,'  and  'me,' 
And  finds,  'I  am  not  what  I  see, 
And  other  than  the  things  I  touch.' 

"So  rounds  he  to  a  separate  mind 

From  whence  clear  memory  may  begin, 
As  though  the  frame  that  binds  him  in 
His  isolation  grows  defined. 

"This  use  may  lie  in  blood  and  breath, 
Which  else  were  fruitless  of  their  due. 
Had  man  to  learn  himself  anew 
Beyond  the  second  birth  of  death." 


We  see  that  the  action  and  reaction  of  the  two  worlds,  the 
inner  and  the  outer,  upon  each  other  is  to  bring  man  to  self- 
realization  and  self -consciousness  and  make  the  subjective  to 
be  the  spiritual  equivalent  of  the  objective.  While  the  world 
is  material,  it  is  also  spiritual ;  while  it  is  natural,  it  is  preter- 
natural; while  we  have  a  cosmic  order,  it  is,  indeed,  a  spiritual 
order.  We,  too,  are  composite.  We  are  material  and  spiritual, 
natural  and  preternatural,  and  this  life  and  this  world  are  a 
preparation  for  the  purely  spiritual.  Like  the  comprehensive 
types  in  geology,  we  are  the  embodiment  of  the  lower  and  the 
prophecy  of  the  higher. 


Mission  of  the  Denominational  College  103 

I  repeat  it,  education  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  and 
is  the  purpose  of  life  and  the  world. 

There  is  almost  boundless  activity  in  the  educational  world. 
Everywhere  there  is  a  striving  to  get  the  best  that  can  be  said 
on  this  subject.  Look  at  the  great  dailies  and  weeklies;  see 
the  symposia  on  education  in  a  great  paper  like  the  New  York 
Independent;  see  the  Interior,  of  Chicago,  emphasizing  edu- 
cation and  endeavoring  to  show  that  education  is  the  founda- 
tion of  good  morals  and  good  government.  Says  President 
Gilman,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University:  "To  any  one  who  sits 
in  the  office  of  a  college  president  or  in  the  editorial  chair  of 
an  important  periodical,  or  among  the  recent  acquisitions  of  a 
public  library,  there  appears  a  rapid  and  constant  flow  of 
pamphlets,  essays,  reports,  and  books  bearing  upon  education, 
as  if  it  were  a  subject  new  to  the  present  generation."  In  all 
the  history  of  the  world  there  never  was  a  time  when  tliere 
were  given  so  many  essays,  sermons,  addresses  on  education; 
so  many  hundreds  of  distinctively  educational  journals;  so 
many  associations  of  teachers — township,  county,  district. 
State,  national;  so  many  clubs  studying  psychology,  the  his- 
tory, philosophy,  and  literature  of  pedagogy,  as  at  the  present 
time. 

We  come  to  the  purpose  of  education.  To  the  question.  What 
is  it?  many  answers  have  been  given.  Whatever  dominates 
the  life  of  an  individual  or  a  nation,  or  whatever  is  uppermost 
in  their  lives  is  put  into  their  educational  thought.  Whatever 
a  man  practically  believes  to  be  the  chief  business  of  life,  that 
to  him  is  the  great  purpose  of  education. 

There  are  two  main  and  worthy  channels  of  educational 
effort:  the  one  toward  man's  physical,  the  other  toward  his 
spiritual  good.  There  are  two  goals  sought  by  men:  animal 
happiness  and  spiritual  worthiness.  Here  we  have  the  prac- 
tical set  over  against  the  culture  aim.  Only  a  small  minority 
award  the  highest  place  to  spiritual  growth.  The  great  ma- 
jority hold  that  education  is  a  means  to  a  livelihood;  some 
external  good  is  to  be  preferred  to  an  internal  condition  of 
soul.     Education  is  to  be  instrumental  to  "getting  on  in  the 


104  A  Century 

world,"  and  nothing  more.  Of  a  young  man  about  to  leave 
home  for  college,  the  question  is  often  asked,  "What  is  he  going 
to  make  of  himself?"  expecting  an  answer  in  terms  of  a  voca- 
tion only.  Everywhere,  even  in  cultured  circles,  there  is  im- 
plied the  utilitarian  end  as  the  ground  of  education.  Success 
is  made  the  goal.  But  what  is  success?  It  is  "getting  on." 
This  is  the  goal,  and  our  time  and  energy,  our  spirit  and  buoy- 
ancy are  quite  used  up  in  this  fever  of  "getting  on."  "The 
means  of  life  have  become  the  end  of  life;  and  our  faith  lays 
hold  of  nothing  but  meat  and  bread,  rain,  soil,  and  sunshine, 
trades  and  traffic,  machinery,  workshops,  and  industrial  schools. 
The  fundamental  assumption  of  American  life  is  that  the  pur- 
pose of  man  is  to  subdue  the  physical  earth.  The  infinite  pos- 
sibilities of  the  soul  have  no  place  in  our  plans.  While  this 
is  not  the  avowed  doctrine,  it  yet  orders  conduct.  To  accumu- 
late material  resources  and  gain  that  power  over  the  world 
which  wealth  confers  is  the  end  of  all  endeavor." 

Rousseau  stands  squarely  on  the  other  side :  "In  the  natural 
order  of  things,  all  men  being  equal,  the  common  vocation  to 
all  is  the  state  of  manhood;  and  whoever  is  well  trained  for 
that  cannot  fulfill  badly  any  vocation  which  depends  upon  it. 
Whether  my  pupil  be  destined  for  the  army,  the  church,  or  the 
bar  matters  little  to  me.  Before  he  can  think  of  adopting  the 
vocation  of  his  parents,  nature  calls  upon  him  to  be  a  man. 
How  to  live  is  the  business  I  wish  to  teach  him.  On  leaving 
my  hands  he  will  not,  I  admit,  be  a  magistrate,  a  soldier,  or  a 
priest ;  first  of  all,  he  will  he  a  man." 

But  there  is  no  opposition  between  these  two  aims;  they  are 
both  reached  by  the  same  process.  They  are  not  antagonistic, 
but  one  is  lower  and  the  other  higher,  and  in  securing  the 
higher,  the  more  fundamental,  the  lower  is  realized  in  the 
process.  By  focusing  the  effort  on  the  fundamental  end,  the 
other  will  be  effectively  secured;  and  much  more  effectively 
secured  than  if  the  lower  end  be  directly  sought.  "If  the  needs 
of  the  soul  be  administered  unto,  the  utilitarian  ends  of  life 
will  be  much  more  surely  and  truly  realized  than  if  the  latter 
end  be  sought  directly.    If,  in  the  act  of  teaching,  the  teacher 


Mission  of  the  DenomlnationaL  College  105 

holds  firmly  in  consciousness,  and  is  guided  by  the  spiritual 
growth  of  a  child,  the  best  possible  thing  will  be  done  for  a 
successful  career  in  life."  All  subjects  should  be  taught  so  as 
to  reach  intellect,  sensibility,  and  will — the  whole  spiritual 
being.  Let  the  self  be  found  in  all  things.  Let  the  self  be  so 
mirrored  forth  as  to  reinforce  and  strengthen  in  the  hour  of 
trial.  Let  the  aesthetic  emotions  be  awakened  by  every  object 
which  the  mind  of  the  learner  touches.  This  is  a  utilitarian 
age  in  education.  Fine  sentiment  is  not  demanded,  but  it 
should  be.  There  is  no  higher,  more  practical  educational  ef- 
fect than  the  habit  of  transforming  everything  into  something 
beautiful  and  divinely  true.  The  most  commonplace  and  mat- 
ter-of-fact things  may  be  invested  with  a  halo  of  beauty  and 
give  inspiration  to  the  learner.  The  comprehension  of  the 
simple  truth  that  two  and  two  make  four,  or  five  and  five  make 
ten  is  warm  with  emotion  and  charged  with  ethical  force  when 
wielded  by  the  hand  of  the  skillful  teacher. 

We  must  insist  that  the  soul  has  its  own  reasons  for  know- 
ing; that  it  is  native  to  it  to  know,  and  not  to  be  insulted  by 
the  mere  utilitarian  conception.  Says  Emerson,  "You  cannot 
insult  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars;  they  will  serve  him  and  him 
only  who  becomes  a  high-born  candidate  for  truth."  So,  too, 
all  subjects  should  be  presented  as  if  to  high-born  candidates 
of  truth.  When  this  is  done,  we  have  taught  our  subjects,  even 
for  utilitarian  purposes,  in  the  best  possible  way.  The  boy 
who  is  taught  how  to  measure  wood-piles  and  corn-bins,  having 
reference  to  the  highest  soul  culture,  will  do  the  actual  work 
more  independently  and  efficiently  than  if  the  purely  utili- 
tarian end  had  been  kept  in  view. 

We  must  remember  that  what  is  popularly  known  as  a  prac- 
tical education  is  the  most  impracticable.  Power  to  think,  to 
adjust  the  mind  to  the  realities  of  the  world,  to  reach  true  con- 
clusions from  carefully  discriminated  data,  strongly  developed 
and  refined  sensibilities,  the  aesthetic  and  ethical  nature  fully 
aroused,  a  will  that  directs  the  whole  psychic  movements  and 
itself  is  under  the  supremacy  of  conscience — these  are  in  the 
line  of  a  truly  practical  education. 


106  A  Century 

An  education  that  puts  the  two  worlds — inner  and  outer — 
face  to  face;  gives  the  inner  an  intellectual  and  spiritual 
equivalent  of  the  outer,  the  intellect  disciplined  and  trained 
and  identified  with  the  outer;  the  sensibilities  strongly  devel- 
oped and  refined  and  made  keenly  responsive  to  the  world 
known  by  the  free  intellect;  a  will,  full,  strong,  wholly  direc- 
tive, and  in  harmony  with  universal  reason — a  personality  that 
can  adjust  and  readjust,  adapt  and  readapt,  that  has  ability 
and  adaptability  to  the  varying  conditions  and  unexpected  sit- 
uations as  they  arise,  this  is  'practical. 

Bookkeeping  is  not  the  most  immediate  or  fundamental  qual- 
ification of  a  clerk;  neither  is  the  ability  to  compute  the  in- 
terest on  a  note  or  measure  a  corn-bin  the  chief  requisite  of  a 
good  farmer.  That  which  makes  a  man  a  man  supplies  the 
fundamental  necessity  for  all  vocations.  What  a  gulf  there 
may  be  between  a  farming  man  and  a  man  farming!  If  I 
could  have  my  way,  I  would  most  gladly  put  behind  the  plow 
in  my  State  of  Ohio  one  hundred  thousand  classical  graduates. 
And  then,  if  rightly  taught,  through  all  the  prosaic  days  of 
the  year,  the  history,  literature,  and  philosophy  of  the  past 
would  live  in  him;  the  great,  throbbing  present  would  find 
sympathetic  response  in  him;  the  wailing  winds  and 
naked  woods,  the  song  of  birds,  the  twinkling  stars,  the  bab- 
bling brooks,  the  grub  and  the  stones  turned  up  in  the  furrow — 
all  would  bring  messages  to  him.  Then,  too,  in  all  that  com- 
munity he  would  walk  and  work,  a  man — the  full-orbed  man, 
with  enlarged  powers  of  heart  and  brain,  rendering  an  efficient 
service  for  humanity.  "More  life  and  better,  that  we  want." 
Life  is  the  end  of  life — the  more  abundant  life.  It  is  to  be 
rich  and  full  and  strong  and  free,  to  be  open  to  the  great  thor- 
oughfares of  human  thought,  and  responsive  to  the  world's  har- 
mony. It  is  to  have  an  out-reaching  toward  what  is  truest, 
best,  and  most  beautiful  in  life;  to  have  tone,  vigor,  power, 
poise,  serenity. 

For  the  sake  of  the  soul  we  want  breadth  and  thoroughness 
of  scholarship.  The  age,  too,  demands  it.  It  is  time  that,  with 
all  our  splendid  material  achievements,  we  turn  our  attention 


Mission  of  the  Denominational  College  107 

to  the  production  of  grand  personalities;  to  the  giving  to  the 
world  of  tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog  and 
come  into  face-to-face  communion  with  ideas — men  of  cos- 
mopolitan heart  and  mind — men  who  have  world  citizenship. 
Nothing  but  a  generous,  liberal  culture  can  make  this  possible. 
The  loftiest  mountain  peaks  ascend  from  the  highest  plateaus. 
To  be  thorough  in  a  few  things  and  not  a  smatterer  is  a  most 
deceptive  argument.  We  cannot  be  thorough  in  a  few  things 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  many.  The  lines  omitted  in  the 
narrowed  course  are  essential  to  mastery  in  the  lines  selected. 
We  may  smatter  in  one  thing  as  easily  as  in  many.  To 
study  things  as  isolated  is  to  smatter.  To  be  thorough  is  to 
find  a  principle,  the  universal  and  general,  in  them.  To  spe- 
cialize and  not  universalize  is  to  smatter.  In  the  whole  range 
of  a  course  of  study  passing  from  the  pole  of  universal  extent 
to  that  of  universal  content  we  find  the  universal  through  the 
individual.  We  then  specialize  in  order  to  universalize.  A 
knowledge  of  the  part  requires  a  knowledge  of  the  whole.  As 
we  reach  down  we  come  to  infinite  relations. 

The  position  of  the  Christian  college  is  unique.  It  has 
always  been  a  beacon  light,  an  inspiration.  It  stands 
for  culture  for  culture's  sake.  It  stands  for  the  dis- 
tinctively liberal  culture.  It  would  put  young  men  and 
women  in  possession  of  their  powers  and  make  them  the  in- 
heritors of  the  accumulated  wisdom  of  the  ages.  It  would  give 
them  high  ideals,  far-reaching  vision,  and  holy  aspirations.  It 
would  give  them  right  life  tendency  and  direction  and  set  thedr 
souls  on  fire  for  truth,  beauty,  and  virtue.  It  would  have  them 
keeping  ever  abreast  of  truth  and  ever  a  blessing  and  inspira- 
tion to  all  around  them.  It  does  not  seek  to  make  men  law- 
yers or  doctors  or  preachers  or  mechanics;  but  it  does  seek  to 
bring  to  all  departments  of  the  world's  work  an  enthusiastic, 
well-rounded  personality  for  efficient  service.  It  is  not  that 
they  may  get  out  of  work,  but  that  they  may  do  vastly  more  and 
better  work.  It  would  seem  that  the  avenue  to  life  should  be 
through  the  college.  This  should  be  the  least  for  a  twentieth- 
century  civilization.    But  there  is  a  feverish  haste  to  life,  and 


108  A  Century 

Hiost  young  men  cut  across  and  leave  out  of  their  plans  a  col- 
lege course,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  doomed  to  mediocrity. 

President  Eliot  complains  that  even  in  Harvard  it  is  possible 
to  reach  the  doctorate  (M.  D.)  without  the  bachelor's  or  mas- 
ter's degree.  It  seems  that  a  great  contest  is  on  between  the 
so-called  bread-and-butter  sciences  and  a  liberal  training.  It 
must  be  in  the  end  that  a  thorough,  liberal  culture  will  win, 
but  at  present  the  great  majority  are  against  it.  One  of  the 
fallacious  doctrines  held  by  men  in  high  positions,  is  that  for 
educational  purposes  one  study  is  as  good  as  another,  and  that 
all  students  are  put  upon  the  same  level. 

The  college  of  liberal  arts,  the  Christian  college,  stands  as  a 
protest  against  these  ideas.  Its  purpose  is  not  simply  to  supply 
demands,  but  to  create  proper  demands.  It  has  always  been  a 
leader,  a  molder  of  sentiment,  reaching  down  and  lifting  up 
all  around  it,  and  reaching  forward  begets  the  university, 
whose  true  function,  in  the  language  of  Professor  Laurie,  "is 
to  sow  the  germs  of  the  life  of  spirit,  to  give  food,  nutrition,  to 
supply  the  spiritual  manna  which  will  never  fail  us  in  the  wil- 
derness-wandering of  earthly  existence,  as  each  morning  we 
rise  to  a  new  day."  Thus  it  would  seem  that  the  college  should 
stand  between  the  academy  and  public  high  school  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  university  on  the  other,  giving  life  and  inspira- 
tion to  both.  This  would  differentiate  the  college  from  the 
university,  and  make  the  former  to  be  the  gateway  to  the  latter. 
The  college  must  turn  the  tide  of  materialism  and  utilitarian- 
ism and  commercialism  and  make  the  man  to  be  above  that  by 
which  he  lives. 

In  the  July  Cosmopolitan  of  1897,  Prof.  Harry  Thurston 
Peck,  of  Columbia  University,  speaks  out  clearly  and  forcefully 
on  this  subject :  "The  fact  is,  that,  so  far  from  adding  to  the 
subjects  now  included  in  the  university  curriculum,  we  should 
instead  diminish  them.  The  present  craze  for  making  that 
curriculum  a  common  dumping-ground  for  every  possible  va- 
riety of  instruction  is  the  most  unfortunate  of  all  the  tenden- 
cies that  are  visible  in  educational  theory  to-day.  As  we  have 
imitated  the  Germans  in  so  many  things,  it  is  a  lasting  pity 


Mission  of  the  De7iomlnational  College  109 

that  we  have  not  seen  fit  to  imitate  them  also  in  excluding  the 
teaching  of  the  purely  mechanical  arts  from  university  in- 
struction and  in  shutting  them  off  into  the  polytechnicum, 
where  they  properly  belong.  When  machine  shops  and  fac- 
tories and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  the  applied  sciences  are  im- 
ported into  the  academic  shades,  and  when  the  perfume  of 
the  Attic  violet  is  stifled  by  the  stenches  of  the  chemist's  cruc- 
ible, the  true  purpose  of  the  university  is  forgotten,  and  its 
higher  mission  is  in  a  great  measure  sacrificed,  for  then  there 
can  exist  no  longer  a  distinct  and  definite  type  of  university 
man.  The  civic  value  of  the  university  in  times  now  past  was 
this:  it  gave  to  the  community  a  very  special  class,  not  only 
highly  trained,  and  trained  in  a  broad  and  liberal  way,  but 
trained  also  according  to  one  particular  standard  and  with 
an  absolute  identity  of  training.  This  identity  of  training 
bound  all  university  men  together  by  the  strongest  possible  ties 
of  sympathy  and  mutual  understanding,  so  that  they  stood 
forth  as  a  kind  of  sacred  band,  alike  in  private  and  public  life, 
exercising  an  influence  for  serenity  and  sanity  of  thought, 
whose  value  was  inestimable  and  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
numbers  of  the  ones  who  exercised  it.  From  this  class  came 
the  men  who  laid  so  firmly  the  foundations  of  the  American 
Republic,  and  who  worked  out  in  a  broad,  far-seeing  way  the 
basal  principles  of  our  constitutional  law  and  public  polity; 
for  of  this  class  were  Hamilton  and  Jefferson  and  Jay  and 
Madison  and  Webster  and  Calhoun  and  Adams.  They  all  re- 
ceived the  older  college  training,  based  not  upon  the  bread-and- 
butter  principle,  but  upon  the  nobler  far  loftier  conception  of 
what  the  highest  education  means.  But  now  the  curious  belief 
that  all  subjects  of  study  are  in  themselves  equally  important 
is  importing  into  the  sphere  of  university  teaching  anything 
and  everything  which  the  casual  person  may  desire  to  know; 
and,  worse  than  this,  it  is  putting  upon  every  grade  of  capacity 
and  attainment  the  self-same  stamp  of  approval.  Yet  those 
who  argue  for  this  equality  of  value  in  the  subjects  taught  do 
not  regard  the  products  of  such  teachings  as  being  equal. 
They  do  not  rank  a  great  fly-paper  manufacturer  with  a  great 


110  A  Century 

statesman,  nor  a  great  cheesmonger  with  a  great  physician. 
Yet  when  we  hear  to-day  that  so-and-so  is  a  university  man, 
one  never  knows  by  reason  of  that  fact  alone  whether  he  is 
only  a  sublimated  type  of  tinker  or  a  man  of  sound  learning. 
And  now  that  this  confusion  has  been  thoroughly  established, 
what  intimate  and  universal  bond  of  sympathy  can  possibly 
exist  among  the  scions  of  a  university?  The  university  has, 
in  fact,  been  swamped  by  the  influx  of  the  mob,  and  its  in- 
mates are  themselves  becoming  only  an  unconsidered  fraction 
of  that  mob.  In  other  words,  the  so-called  ^liberal'  policy  in 
university  government  has  not  raised  mediocrity  to  the  plane 
of  scholarship,  but  has  degraded  scholarship  to  the  plane  of 
mediocrity.  It  has  been  in  every  sense  a  process  of  leveling 
down;  in  no  sense  has  it  been  a  process  of  leveling  up.  This, 
then,  is  gradually  blotting  out  the  true  value  of  the  university 
as  a  factor  in  a  nation's  larger  life.  By  throwing  its  doors 
wide  open  to  every  one  and  for  every  purpose,  and  losing  all 
perception  of  its  original  design,  its  chief  importance  and  its 
noblest  influence  are  vanishing  away — lost  in  the  well-nigh 
universal  reign  of  the  commonplace."  Our  civilization  fore- 
stalls the  ends  of  culture.  We  have  become  manacled  by  that 
which  serves  to  free  us.  We  do  not  desist  at  the  point  of  com- 
petency, but  make  the  means  of  life  the  end  of  life.  Let  us 
emphasize  the  college  more  and  more,  and  give  to  it  and  the 
university  the  functions  we  have  indicated.  We  want,  through 
the  college  and  the  university,  "to  teach  serenity  of  mind  and 
loftiness  of  purpose,  to  make  men  see  straight  and  think  clearly, 
to  endue  them  with  a  sense  of  proportion  and  a  luminous  phi- 
losophy of  life — a  thing  impossible  to  those  who  do  not  draw 
their  inspiration  from  the  thought,  the  history,  and  the  beauty 
of  the  classic  past."  It  should  produce  for  the  service  of  the 
state  men  such  as  those  who,  in  the  past,  made  empires  and 
created  commonwealths,  and  give  to  the  world  "men  of  high 
breeding  and  supreme  attainments,  who  would  rise  above  the 
level  of  the  commonplace,  to  establish  justice  and  maintain 
truth,  to  do  great  things  in  a  large  and  splendid  way,  and  to 
illustrate  and  to  vindicate  the  majesty  of  man." 


Mission  of  the  Denominational  College  111 

Looking  upon  the  denomination  as  a  great  organism,  the 
college  is  fundamental  and  vital — its  heart  and  life.  As  in 
the  physical  organism  the  heart  drives  arterial  blood  out 
through  all  the  body,  pouring  nourishment  over  all  the  tissues, 
and  by  its  very  emptying  of  itself  creates  a  vacuum  toward 
which,  by  various  routes,  the  blood  continually  returns;  so 
stands  the  denominational  college  in  its  relations  to  all  the 
organic  life  of  the  church.  "Ever  and  forever  it  sends  down 
by  all  routes  and  agencies,  to  all  grades  and  classes  of  society, 
a  wealth  of  culture  and  mental  stimulus;  ever  and  forever  it 
draws  to  itself  all  the  aspiring,  all  seekers  after  truth,  a  stream 
which  its  own  pulse  has  quickened  forever  emptying  itself  to 
be  forever  filled,  maintaining  for  society  (and  the  church)  the 
intellectual  (and  spiritual)  life-current  without  which  all  must 
eventually  end  in  stagnation  and  decay." 

For  the  church  and  the  world  it  is  the  place  and  purpose  of 
the  college,  supplemented  by  the  true  university,  to  answer  the 
prayer  of  Holland  : 

"God  give  us  men !    A  time  like  this  demands 
Strong  minds,  great  hearts,  true  faith,  and  ready  hands — 
Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill ; 
Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  cannot  buy ; 
Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will ; 
Men  who  have  honor;  men  who  will  not  lie; 
Men  who  can  stand  before  a  demagogue 
And  damn  his  treacherous  flatteries  without  winking ; 
Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog 
In  public  duty  and  in  private  thinking. 
For  while  the  rabble  with  their  thumb-worn  creeds. 
Their  large  professions  and  their  little  deeds, 
Mingle  in  selfish  strife,  lo !  Freedom  weeps, 
"Wrong  rules  the  land,  and  waiting  Justice  sleeps." 


THE  FUTURE  OF  OUR  COLLEGES. 
By  L.  Bookwalter,  D.  D. 

The  future  of  our  colleges  will  largely  determine  the  fu- 
ture of  our  Church.  In  the  institutional  organization  of  the 
Church  some  things  are  primary,  some  secondary;  some  forces 
are  at  the  center,  some  at  the  extremities.  If  our  educational 
work  is  not  the  heart  in  our  Church  organism,  where  is  that  cen- 
tral fountain  whence  pour  forth  "the  issues  of  life"  ?  We  are  in 
full  accord  with  the  belief  now  held  by  the  church  of  Christ 
everywhere,  that  her  schools  are  the  very  centers  and  sources 
of  her  power.  So,  for  half  a  century  we  as  a  people  have  been 
devoting  no  little  money  and  brain  and  heart  to  the  building 
and  maintaining  of  colleges.  And  we  are  not  ashamed  of  the 
record  we  have  made.  But  for  that  record,  marked  by  strug- 
gle and  experiment  though  it  be,  no  such  successes  could  possi- 
bly have  been  achieved  by  us  as  a  Church  as  have  marked  our 
annals.  Most  natural  and  befitting,  therefore,  is  it  that,  at 
this  stage  of  our  Church  life,  at  this  centennial  celebration, 
we  should  give  prominent  place  to  the  consideration  of  our 
educational  work,  and  turn  with  special  interest  to  its  future. 

It  is  at  once  apparent  that  in  the  discussion  of  this  subject 
we  are,  in  a  primary  and  broader  sense,  giving  attention  to  the 
whole  field  of  the  higher  Christian  education;  we  are  neces- 
sarily led  to  consider  that  great  system  of  advanced  education 
now  carried  on  by  the  denominational  schools  of  the  land, 
among  which  are  our  own  colleges.  Our  educational  work  is 
a  part  of  this  great  system.  With  its  life  our  life  is  vitally 
connected.  With  it  our  fortunes  are  cast.  So,  in  general, 
the  future  of  the  church  college  is  the  "future  of  our  col- 


First,  then,  what  is  the  future  of  the  church  college,  the 
small  college,  the  so-called  "fresh-water"  college?     Is  its  fu- 

112 


The  Future  oj  Oar  OMeyes  113 

ture  in  doubt,  or  is  it  assured^  from  various  quarters  comes 
tiie  suggestion  that  the  day  of  the  small  college  is  passing 
away,  and  the  day  of  the  university  is  near  at  hand.  If  such 
is  the  case,  this  is  to  us  an  hour  of  confusion.  But  this  con- 
ception of  present  educational  life  and  movements  is  not  in 
agreement  with  the  facts.  It  is  only  the  hasty  and  false  in- 
terpretation put  upon  recent  developments.  Th«  facts  are 
these:  Within  the  last  thirty  years  the  educational  system 
of  the  counti-y  has  actually  become  a  system,  with  well- 
defined  departments,  all  articulating,  from  the  kindergarten, 
through  the  elementary  school,  high  school  and  college,  up  to 
the  university.  The  time  was  ripe  for  this  completing  of  the 
great  edifice,  esj^ecially  for  the  placing  of  its  long-neglected 
topmost  stone,  the  university.  While  the  college  has  been  here 
for  generations,  the  university  has  taken  its  commanding 
place  suddenly  and  with  eclat,  and,  some  people  are  vain- 
glorious and  others  are  scared — that  is  all. 

No,  the  church  college  is  not  passing  away;  it  is  here  to 
stay,  and  to  fill  a  constantly  widening  field  because  of  its  place 
and  work.  It  is  not  only  a  vital  part  of  the  great  educational 
system  of  the  land,  but  is  permanently  woven  into  "the  whole 
vast  fabric  of  society."  Its  molding  power  has  been  felt  for 
good  everywhere.  All  this  is  so  because  the  Christian  college 
is  Christian.  Its  conception  is  that  college  studies  have  to 
deal  not  only  with  the  laboratory  and  museum,  but  also  with 
questions  of  the  heart,  of  speculation,  morals  and  duty,  of  re- 
ligion; that,  in  correct  education  Christianity,  is  a  leading 
factor,  and  that  in  true  human  life,  both  individual  and 
social,  the  spiritual  must  be  ascendant.  The  Interior,  of 
Chicago,  when  not  long  since  discussing  "The  College  Situa- 
tion," well  said:  "The  fact  is,  that  Christianity  is  rooted 
deeper  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  nation  than  demagogues 
and  trimmers  know.  The  denominational  school  will  always 
have  the  greater  constituency  in  America,  not  simply  because 
its  theory  fits  it  to  deal  with  the  most  important  questions  of 
life,  but  also  because  it  brings  its  advantages  close  to  the  door 


114  A  Century 

of  the  people.  Great  central  universities  never  have  leavened 
the  masses,  and  never  can.  It  is  the  small  and  widely  dis- 
tributed institutions  that  level  up  the  multitude.  The  bene- 
factions which  have  built  these  Christian  colleges  still  con- 
tinue to  flow.  The  friends  of  Christian  institutions  need  have 
no  fear  that  the  schools  they  love  are  being  pressed  to  the 
wall.  "With  every  passing  year  they  are  more,  and  stand  more 
firmly,  and  extend  more  widely  their  benedictions  upon  the 
nation."  Said  Mr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  of  Chicago,  the  widely- 
known  friend  and  benefactor  of  church  colleges,  in  an  article 
which  appeared  in  "The  College  Man's  Number"  of  the  Sat- 
urday Evening  Post  of  May  28  last :  "The  greatest  educational 
institution  of  America,  aside  from  the  common  schools,  is  the 
^fresh-water'  college.  The  big  colleges  and  universities  with 
world-wide  reputations  are  all  right.  They  are  fulfilling  their 
purpose;  but  I  believe  this  country  could  better  afford  to  see 
them  wiped  off  the  list  of  her  educational  institutions  than  to 
have  the  struggling  ^fresh-water'  colleges  removed  from  the 
reach  of  the  common  people.  Why?  Because  these  humble 
institutions  are  the  direct  productions  of  the  true  American 
pioneer  spirit,  and  still  have  in  them  the  vital  breath  of  high 
moral  purpose  breathed  into  them  by  their  founders,  because 
the  foundation  of  every  ^fresh-water'  college  in  the  land  is  laid 
deep  in  the  rock  of  sound  practical  Christianity.  I  believe 
that  no  educational  work  of  an  advanced  kind  is  being  done  in 
America  to-day  equal  to  that  of  the  'fresh-water'  college.'^ 
Let  every  fear  as  to  the  future  life  and  influence  of  the  church 
college  be  dismissed  forever. 

But,  that  denominational  colleges,  that  our  colleges,  may 
maintain  and  magnify  their  place,  they  must  know  their  mis- 
sion and  fulfill  it.  And  they  must  measure  up  well  along  all 
lines.  Plainly,  Christian  institutions  should  make  their  work 
distinctly  and  intensively  Christian.  They  are  the  God-or- 
dained agency  by  which  the  learning  and  culture  of  the  land 
are  saved  from  heresy,  secularism,  and  agnosticism,  and  given 
the  stamp  of  orthodox,  evangelical  Christianity.     Their  mis- 


The  Future  of  Our  Colleges  n5 

sion  is  emphatically  the  making  and  sending  out  of  strong, 
aggressive,  Christian  men  and  women.  And,  more  and  more] 
character  is  coming  to  be  the  goal  of  education.  Eeal  educa- 
tion is  not  primarily  a  bread-winning  or  commercial  com- 
modity. A  pronouncedly  Christian  influence  is  sure  to  receive- 
more  rather  than  less  attention  in  the  future .  educational 
movements.  President  Hall  gives  us  high  ideals,  and  cor- 
rectly divines  the  future  when  he  names  health,  specialization,, 
and  religion  as  the  key-notes  of  coming  education.  And  it  will,, 
in  the  very  nature  of  things,  always  be  left  largely  to  the^ 
church  college  to  promote  the  Christian  type  of  higher  learn^ 
ii:g. 

Our  colleges  must  also  have  a  true  educational  policy  as  to 
standards.  The  demand  for  genuine  learning  and  broad 
scholarship  is  growing  stronger  and  stronger  as  the  years  go. 
by,  and  the  colleges  of  our  Church  must  meet  this  demand  or 
the  best  brain  and  heart  power  will  drift  away  from  us.  We- 
must  set  and  maintain  a  high  standard,  taking  our  place 
abreast  of  the  best  schools  of  the  land.  We  must  cover  fullyr 
the  fields  of  modern  college  study.  We  should  have  as  heads, 
of  departments  men  and  women  of  broad  university  training, 
and  especially  of  great  heart  power  and  conscientiousness. 
We  must  provide  good  up-to-date  equipment.  Quality  must 
continually  be  made  primary.  Our  policy  will  make  no  pre- 
tenses and  eschew  all  sham.  We  will  strive  only  for  the  best,, 
and  such  striving  will  achieve  its  highest  aims. 

Probably  for  years  our  colleges  must  conduct  a  preparatory 
department  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  have  had 
high  school  advantages.  The  academies  of  the  Church  may  be 
expected  to  send  to  their  respective  colleges  candidates  well- 
prepared  for  the  freshman  class.  It  seems  advantageous  like- 
wise, at  present,  on  the  part  of  most  of  our  colleges,  to  have 
connected  with  them  a  normal  course,  and  also,  as  adjunct 
departments,  a  conservatory  of  music,  school  of  oratory,  school 
of  art,  and  a  college  of  commerce.     Important  in  themselves. 


lib  A  Centurj/ 

these  lines  of  study  are  the  more  valuable  to  the  student  when 
taken  within  the  atmosphere  of  a  college. 

At  this  point  is  naturally  suggested  the  thought  of  the  unifi- 
cation of  our  educational  work  and  the  building  of  a  central 
university.  Time  does  not  permit  the  discussion  in  this  paper 
of  so  important  a  question.  Perhaps  no  one,  as  yet,  feels  ready 
to  speak  upon  it  definitely  and  with  assurance.  The  present 
general  judgment  likely  is  that  we  are  not  yet  where  we  can 
enter  upon  the  early  founding  of  a  university.  To  establish 
and  conduct  such  an  institution,  the  amount  of  money  re- 
quired would  be  so  vast,  and  the  patronage  called  for  so  large 
and  well  assured,  that  success  would  seem  at  present  beyond 
serious  expectation.  The  developments  of  the  future  may 
bring  us  to  the  place  of  clearer  vision.  But  it  certainly  is 
wise,  at  the  beginning  of  this  new  era,  to  look  forward  to  larger 
things  in  our  educational  work,  and  plan  to  give  to  it  greater 
practical  cooperation  and  unity. 

But,  respecting  one  thing  we  all  see  clearly  and  are  all 
agreed — namely,  that  the  time  is  at  hand  when  we  must  re- 
lieve our  colleges  of  embarrassment,  place  them  firmly  upon 
their  feet,  and  start  them  out  upon  a  new  career.  This  ap- 
plies to  all  our  institutions  of  learning.  We  have  passed  the 
crisis  when  our  schools  trembled  between  hope  and  fear,  and  are 
now  come,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  a  place  and  a  time 
vvhich  should  be  made  an  epoch.  The  future  success  of  our 
academies,  colleges,  and  Seminary  will  be  determined  by  the 
plans  inaugurated  here.  "We  see  the  weaknesses  of  our  schools; 
we  have  before  us  the  ideal  of  what  they  should  be.  How  shall 
they  be  brought  up  to  that  ideal?  How  shall  they  be  given  a 
new  future? 

First,  we  must  have  a  sound  financial  policy,  persistently 
carried  out.  The  financial  feature  is  the  master  wheel  of  all 
the  machinery.  The  immediate  freeing  of  our  schools  from 
debt  is  a  thing  so  palpably  necessary  as  to  need  little  argu- 
ment. No  school  is  sure  even  of  its  life  with  a  debt  hanging 
over  it,  and  but  a  meager  endowment.     This  mill-stone  must 


The  Future  of  Our  Colleges  117 

be  thrown  from  every  neck.  We  must  cease  paying  interest. 
Our  schools  have  paid  as  much  in  interest  as  all  their  present 
real  estate  is  worth.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  conditions 
of  the  past  which  seemed  to  call  for  the  making  of  these 
debts,  the  time  is  here  for  wiping  them  out.  Then  let  no 
more  debts  be  contracted,  not  a  dollar.  Run  the  schools  upon 
their  incomes,  making  these  sufficient  by  securing  si>ecial  gifts 
for  the  faculty  fund.  Pay  good  teachers  fair  salaries  and  pay 
promptly.  Provide  equipment  as  ability  allows.  In  the  run- 
ning of  our  schools  we  must  pursue  strictly  business  methods. 
In  church  work,  as  in  every  other  kind  of  work,  we  can 
"trust  the  good  Lord"  when,  and  only  when,  we  observe  the 
good  Lord's  laws  of  business. 

So,  in  our  finances,  let  the  first  watchword  be,  "Freedom  from 
debt !"  And  let  this  key-note  of  the  new  song  of  victory  be  sent 
out  from  this  platform,  and  this  General  Conference,  and  let 
it  be  taken  up  and  heralded  by  every  school  in  the  Church 
throughout  all  its  cooperating  territory,  until  it  strikes  the 
ear  and  reaches  the  heart  and  the  pocket  of  every  United 
Brethren,  and  our  entire  Church  is  stirred  and  thrilled  as  by 
a  trumpet  call. 

The  debts  provided  for,  let  the  securing  of  endowment  be 
entered  upon  and  pushed  vigorously  and  continuously,  so  that 
our  schools  may  have  incomes  adequate  for  their  conduct  and 
enlargement.  Meanwhile,  additional  buildings  and  equipment 
will  become  a  necessity.  Let  the  second  watchword  be  "En- 
dowment and  enlargement !"  All  this  will  require  money,  and 
large  sums  of  it;  money,  and  not  promises.  In  the  church, 
as  in  the  state,  money  constitutes  the  sinews  of  war.  Give  us 
money  and  we  can  build  up  colleges,  colleges  in  fact,  per- 
manent, strong,  and  vigorous.  We  know  what  it  is  to  attempt 
to  run  colleges  without  adequate  means.  We  can  pursue  the 
old  policy  no  longer — and  live.  The  day  of  making  bricks 
without  straw  is  passed.  And,  further,  we  must  keep  pace 
with  the  colleges  about  us  whose  friends  are  pouring  money 
into  their  treasuries,  and  with  our  well-supported  State  insti- 


3-18  A  Centw^y 

tutions,  or  we  must  quit  the  field.  Our  people,  our  men  of 
xrieans,  must  come  forward  with  their  money  as  never  before, 
<)lse  the  future  of  our  colleges  is  anything  but  promising.  The 
I)oint  upon  which  I  am  now  dwelling  is  vital.  Here  is  the  key 
:to  the  whole  situation.  I  repeat  it,  the  future  of  our  college  is 
<;hiefly  a  matter  of  dollars ;  and  the  dollars  needed  are  not  be- 
;yond  the  ready  ability  of  our  people  to  provide.  And,  let  us  be- 
lieve that,  to  the  clear-cut,  urgent  presentation  of  the  whole  case, 
■with  its  present  need  and  its  promise  for  the  future,  they  will 
juake  prompt  and  generous  response.  The  situation  itself  is 
such  that  it  surely  will  make  to  all  generous  minds  its  own 
silent  and  powerful  appeal. 

But  buildings,  equipment,  and  faculty  do  not  make  a  col- 
lege. A  college  must  have  students,  and  enough  of  them  to 
give  it  a  vigorous  internal  life.  Here  have  our  colleges  been 
■weak  when  they  might  have  been  strong.  They  have  not  had  the 
xinited  patronage  of  our  own  people.  Many  persons  toil  and 
sacrifice  for  the  Church  in  its  local  lines  of  work,  look  after 
the  extremities,  then  neglect  the  central  interests — rob  the 
leart.  Loyal  United  Brethren  should  send  their  children  to 
their  own  schools.  This  is  not  the  advocating  of  a  narrow 
sectarian  spirit,  but  of  a  reasonable  and  healthy  denomina- 
te onalism.  We  must  be  denominational  in  this  day  to  ef- 
:fectively  promote  Christianity,  especially  in  the  great  institu- 
tional interests,  as  missions,  education,  etc.  This  is  dis- 
tinctively the  denominational  era  in  Protestant  Christianity. 
To  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ  we  must  work  through  a 
denomination  or  not  at  all.  If  we  are  to  succeed  we  must  pull 
together.  Xot  more  than  half  the  United  Brethren  young 
people  who  are  attending  college  are  in  our  own  schools.  Some 
people  wonder  why  our  educational  work  does  not  put  on  more 
life  and  assume  greater  proportions.  No  wonder  at  all.  What 
an  impetus  would  be  given  to  this  work  and  to  all  our  Church 
activities  if  there  would  be  a  general  turning  of  our  own  stu- 
dents to  our  own  schools.  With  what  a  crowd  of  live  young 
humanity  would  the  halls  of  our  institutions  of  learning  be 


The  Future  of  Our  Colleges  119 

thronged.  They  would  be  started  forward  with  a  bound  upon 
a  new  career.  There  would  be  gathered  at  these  centers  such 
a  life  as  would  make  our  colleges  veritable  batteries  of  power 
■whence  would  go  forth  currents  to  electrify  and  vitalize  the 
Church  to  its  farthest  extremities.  So,  let  another  watch- 
word be,  "United  Brethren  young  people  in  United  Brethren 
schools." 

It  should  scarcely  need  emphasizing  that  our  colleges  must 
be  made  more  and  more  a  veritable  intellectual  and  social 
home  for  the  average  American  youth  and  for  the  youth  of  any 
land.  We  must  keep  close  to  the  great  heart  of  the  common 
people.  The  Christian  college  community  should  be  the  em- 
bodiment of  the  truest  and  best  forms  of  the  democratic  spirit 
and  life.  Let  there  be  no  caste,  no  Greek  fraternities,  no 
false  standards  of  life,  no  aristocracy  but  that  of  brain  and 
heart.  Let  everything  conduce  to  the  leading  up  of  all  to  the 
high  plane  of  Christian  manhood  and  womanhood,  all  ce- 
mented by  the  spirit  of  the  young  Man  of  Galilee  into  one 
common  brotherhood. 

Now,  with  this  whole  subject  before  us,  the  vital  relation 
of  this  to  every  other  line  of  church  activity  clearly  seen,  with 
our  hearts  turned  towards  our  schools  in  solicitude  and  hope, 
what  general  thought,  formed  into  purpose  and  crystalized 
into  plan,  might  wisely  be  given  place?  If  our  colleges  are 
to  be  brought  up  to  the  standard  demanded,  and  our  edu- 
cational work  as  a  whole  is  to  be  given  new  scope  and  power, 
something  in  behalf  of  this  arm  of  our  Church  activity  never 
before  planned  must  be  devised.  What  shall  it  be?  Let  it  be 
the  devoting  of  special  attention  to  this  work,  on  the  part  of 
the  entire  Church,  during  this  quadrennium.  While  vigor- 
ously promoting  every  other  line  of  our  work,  let  education  be 
made  the  paramount  interest.  Let  the  payment  of  every  dol- 
lar of  debt  on  the  Seminary,  and  on  each  college  or  academy, 
and  their  liberal  endowment,  be  the  primary  end  sought.  Said 
one  of  the  most  discerning  and  progressive  laymen  of  our 
Church,  in  a  letter  to  me  of  April  15 :     "I  am  impressed  that 


liiO  A   Ccnturij 

the  matter  of  placing  our  institutions  of  learning  on  a  sound 
financial  basis  during  the  present  favorable  conditions,  is  one 
of  the  great  questions  confronting  the  United  Brethren 
Church."  True,  and  the  times  are  propitious.  This  is  God's 
time,  and  God's  time  is  our  time.  And  in  connection  with 
this  financial  effort  let  there  be  such  a  campaign  of  education 
respecting  the  work  of  our  schools,  and  the  value  of  the  higher 
Christian  education,  as  has  never  been  made  among  our  peo- 
ple. Neither  in  its  ministry  nor  its  laity  has  our  Church 
ever  yet  thoroughly  awakened  to  the  important  relation  of 
higher  culture  to  life  and  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  the 
earth.  Let  this  General  Conference  agree  upon  this  purpose 
and  plan  to  carry  it  out. 

It  must  be  clear  to  every  one  that  we  have  reached  a  time 
and  place  in  our  work  in  education,  both  demanding  and  in- 
viting aggressive  action.  We  dare  not  stand  still;  and  hap- 
pily, before  us  is  an  open  door.  Wise,  vigorous  action  now 
will  be  productive  of  far-reaching  results;  and  this  Church 
i.*  an  aggressive  people.  This  body  representing  it  will 
promptly  lead  in  this  forward  movement,  already  felt  by  many 
in  their  deepest  soul.  There  need  be  no  fear  for  a  cause  when 
its  friends  and  leaders  are  quick  of  ear  to  hear  the  higher 
voices  and  keen  to  discern  the  signs  of  the  times.  It  needs  no 
seer  to  tell  us  of  a  new  era;  its  dawn  is  here;  its  morning 
breath  is  upon  us.  Toward  that  larger  future  we  turn,  with 
the  faith  and  hope  and  inspiration  that  come  to  those  who, 
"forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind  and  reaching  forth 
unto  those  which  are  before,"  press  toward  the  higher  planes 
that  are  already  lit  up  by  the  sunrise  of  a  new  and  better  day. 


PART  IV. 

The  Nineteenth  Century  as  a  Preparation 
FOR  THE  Twentieth. 


THE  EELATION  OF  OUE  PUBLISHING  INTEEESTS 
TO  THE  LIFE  AND  GEO\YTH  OF  OUE 
DENOMINATION. 

W.  E.  Funk,  D.  D. 

Literature  is  one  of  the  chief  avenues  through  which  the 
world  is  to  receive  religion  and  civilization.  No  great  enter- 
prise can  be  successfully  launched  or  fostered  without  it.  It 
has  in  it  both  knowledge  and  power.  Knowledge  is  that  which 
educates  and  instructs,  while  power  is  that  which  inspires  to 
action  and  moves  the  individual  to  service.  Schools,  colleges, 
and  universities  develop  the  man,  but  literature  is  the  product 
of  the  man  thus  developed.  In  literature,  the  product  can  never 
be  higher  than  the  individual  producing  it.  So  that,  as  we  lift 
the  attainments  of  the  thinker,  we  raise  the  character  of  his 
product.  The  nature  of  its  literature  is  the  key  to  the  per- 
manency of  a  nation.  Let  the  printed  thought  of  any  people 
be  dissipating,  the  days  of  that  nation  are  numbered,  be  it 
monarchy  or  republic.  The  effect  of  Christian  literature  is 
best  seen  in  the  past  hundred  years,  which  is  distinctively 
known  as  the  missionary  century  of  this  era.  Not  until  the 
printing-press  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  Almighty  God 
did  the  Gospel  of  his  Son  accomplish  so  much  in  girdling 
the  world  with  its  rays  of  hope.  Infidel  science  held  in  its 
grasp  the  literature  of  the  two  preceding  centuries.     Kant, 

121 


122  A  Century 

Hegel,  and  others  swayed  the  multitude  until  it  seemed  almost 
impossible  for  the  divine  truth  of  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ  to  penetrate  the  realm  of  skeptical  mysticism. 

1. — The  vigor  and  strength  of  a  denomination  is  due  very 
largely  to  its  hook  and  periodical  literature. 

Homer  knew  how  to  reach  the  Greek  heart  and  move  it  to 
patriotism;  hence  he  wrote  his  poems.  Paul  understood  the 
strength  of  written  epistles  that  in  themselves  gave  new  life 
to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor.  What  is  written  becomes  in  a 
very  special  manner  the  food  that  not  only  sustains  life  in  the 
organization,  but  increases  the  source  of  all  energy  within  the 
Church.  It  supplies  the  bone  and  sinew  of  spiritual  warfare. 
It  carries  the  life  blood  into  the  remotest  parts  of  the  Church 
organism.  It  becomes  a  source  of  life  itself,  and  its  absence 
means  certain  death  to  any  organization.  The  Church,  there- 
fore, needs  a  strong,  healthy  literature  of  all  kinds,  in  order 
that  it  may  send  the  current  of  a  true  life  of  service  into  the* 
hearts  of  all  its  communicants. 

2. — The  literature  of  the  Church  has  to  do  with  its  polity. 

Every  denomination  should  stand  for  something  distinctive 
in  its  organic  life.  It  is  natural  that  this  should  appear  in  its 
literature.  Slow  progress  will  be  made  if  its  principles  are  to 
be  perpetuated  or  promulgated  by  means  of  tradition.  There 
must  be  a  quicker  and  more  frequently  recurring  agency  if  the 
growth  of  the  Church  is  to  be  abiding  and  extensive.  A  high- 
grade  literature  is  one  of  the  best  methods  by  which  this  end 
may  be  accomplished.  The  spirit  of  our  Church  periodicals 
and  books  determines  the  governing  principles  that  shall  con- 
trol the  organic  life  of  the  denomination.  The  office  and  work 
of  our  superintendents,  of  all  the  general  officers  of  the  Church, 
are  limited  or  increased  much  in  proportion  to  the  sentiment 
expressed  in  our  Church  publications.  The  narrow  bigotry  of 
the  past  centuries  was  due  to  the  limitations  surrounding  the 
lives  of  the  people  in  those  days.  A  free  exchange  of  thought 
widens  the  soul  and  removes  selfishness  and  narrowness.  It  be- 
gets a  spirit  of  expansion,  an  admiration  for  others,  and  as  the 
spirit  of  Jehovah  himself  is  received  through  the  printed  pages 


Relation  of  Our  Publishing  Interests  123 

of  religious  books  and  papers,  the  soul  thus  fed  enters  into  a 
new  era  of  service  in  the  denomination  to  which  it  belongs. 
This  result  accomplished  in  the  individual,  it  becomes  a  moral 
certainty  in  the  entire  organization.  A  church,  composed  of 
people  thus  endowed,  cannot  live  under  a  contracted  polity; 
but,  like  the  escaped  bird,  soars  upward,  entering  the  realm  of 
true  discipleship  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  extends  a  hand  of 
deepest  sympathy  to  every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam's  family, 
ivith  no  question  as  to  color,  race,  or  primitive  condition. 

S. — Literature  is  the  means  of  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual 
growth  in  the  Church, 

We  do  not  believe  in  fatality  as  applied  to  the  individual, 
state,  or  church.  Necessity  may  be  inherent,  but  victory  and 
triumph  are  the  result  of  effort.  If  our  Church  is  to  rise  to 
its  full  measure  of  strength  in  the  work  of  soul-saving,  it  must 
unfold  the  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  powers  of  its  member- 
ship. It  must  have  a  line  of  Church  periodicals  and  a  series 
of  book  literature  so  freighted  with  eternal  truth  that  the 
brain,  heart,  and  soul  of  every  reader  will  respond  in  a  fruitful 
awakening  as  does  nature  under  the  influence  of  the  zigzag 
lightning  in  the  balmy  spring  shower. 

Growth  is  the  watchword  of  nature.  It  is  the  primitive  com- 
mand of  God.  It  is  the  one  basis  of  perpetual  continuity.  To 
arrive  at  this  end,  we  must  use  our  Church  publications  to 
open  the  minds  of  our  people;  to  strengthen  their  mental  con- 
ception; to  cause  them  to  know  that  better  things  may  come 
to  them  by  means  of  a  cultured  mind.  Their  conscience  needs 
to  be  awakened.  Their  whole  moral  nature  must  be  made  to 
respond  to  the  highest  ethical  truths  of  God.  Their  conduct 
must  be  made  to  conform  to  the  rules  of  sobriety,  nobility,  and 
purity. 

Yet  this  is  not  all.  Our  literature  must  cause  soul  growth 
among  our  people.  Who  would  say  that  Paul  had  as  great  soul 
power  just  after  his  conversion  as  when  he  held  the  revival  in 
the  jail  at  Philippi?  Yet  his  already  large  soul  must  have 
grown  much  during  the  night  on  the  sea  when  the  angel  of  God 
stood  by  him  and  gave  him  assurance  that  even  nature's  wildest 


124  A   Century 

tempest  would  be  stilled  in  his  behalf.  God  speed  the  day 
when  all  our  periodicals  and  books  will  give  forth  the  heaven 
power,  so  that  the  souls  of  our  people  may  be  so  enlarged  for 
service,  and,  as  a  result,  our  institutions  and  societies  will  make 
a  great  stride  forward  in  their  work. 

When  he  arrived  at  Eome,  Paul's  mind,  heart,  and  soul  were 
about  completed  from  the  earth  side;  hence  he  soon  entered  a 
new  world  to  be  crowned  a  king  and  priest  unto  God,  where  he, 
without  question,  has  continued  his  soul  growth  under  the 
direct  rays  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Thus  we,  as  a  Church 
must  seek  to  develop  the  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  in  our 
membership,  so  that  at  the  end  of  their  earth  pilgrimage  they 
may  be  proper  subjects  for  citizenship  in  heaven.  Not  with  the 
thought  of  minimizing  any  other  agency,  but  to  emphasize  the 
importance  of  this  one,  I  assert  that  no  other  department  of 
church  work  affords  such  opportunity  for  reaching  all  our 
people  and  imparting  knowledge,  which  in  itself  becomes  the 
basis  of  their  lives  as  intelligent,  consistent,  spirit-filled  Chris- 
tians. 

•^. — The  publishing  interest  of  the  Church  is  the  vehicle  of 
all  its  organization. 

Unification,  concentration,  and  organization  fill  the  at- 
mosphere as  we  enter  the  new  century.  Shall  the  Church  with 
its  sacred  jewels,  "Our  Holy  Christianity,"  follow  in  the  wake 
of  commercialism?  Will  we  allow  the  beliefs  of  Buddha  and 
Mohamet,  or  the  blighting  ideas  of  material  skepticism  to  reach 
the  minds  of  men  first,  and  there  fortify  themselves  against 
the  approach  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  he  seeks  to  enter  the  hearts 
of  men  and  make  them  the  temple  of  the  living  God  ?  Will  we, 
because  of  our  lukewarmness,  permit  our  sons  and  daughters 
tj  be  dragged  from  our  sacred  home  altars  and  engulfed  in  the 
pollution  of  sin  as  it  obtains  in  social  life  about  us  ? 

The  publications  of  our  Church  shout  the  rallying  war-cry 
against  sin  and  its  effects,  all  along  the  line.  It  is  through  our 
papers  and  books  that  men  like  Moses,  or  our  Joshuas,  Samuels, 
Nehemiahs,  Elijahs,  Malachis,  and  Pauls,  must  sx}eak  to  our 


Relation  of  Our  Publishing  Interests  125 

people  and  urge  them  forward  to  the  possession  of  the  world 
for  God  and  his  Christ. 

We  are  now  speaking,  and  will  continue  to  speak,  to  our 
entire  Church  through  the  Telescope;  for,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  our  Telescope  speaks  as  well-  as  sees.  Our  Watchword 
sends  weekly  a  rich  message  to  the  young  people  of  our  de- 
nomination. Our  Sunday-school  publications  will  always  touch 
the  lives  of  our  hundreds  of  thousands  of  scholars  and  call  them 
into  active  service.  What  a  thought  that  through  our  publish- 
ing interests  all  the  hosts  of  our  Church  can  be  marshaled  as 
a  solid  phalanx,  and,  advancing,  cause  the  powers  of  sin  to  re- 
cede into  the  shades  of  eternal  oblivion.  What  an  inspiration 
that  30,000,000  pieces  of  literature  are  going  out  into  our 
Church  annually  to  enthuse  this  magnificent  army  of  Christian 
workers,  as  with  steady  tread  and  as  one  man  they  advance. 
It  is  delightful  to  know  that  no  department  is  neglected  by 
our  publications;  that  all  wheels  within  the  great  wheel— the 
Church — move  in  perfect  accord.  This,  in  the  time-piece, 
guarantees  correct  time.  In  the  Church  it  means  order;  no 
wasted  energy,  and,  above  all,  it  means  the  salvation  of  many 
thousands  of  souls  annually. 

5- — The  publications  of  our  Church  become  the  enunciators 
of  victories,  thus  giving  inspiration  which  produces  enthusiasm 
in  service. 

Many  an  army  would  have  been  defeated  had  not  the  general 
eloquently  recounted  past  triumphs.  The  young  Spartan 
gloried  in  the  valor  of  his  parentage.  The  old  Koman  soldier 
used  the  long  line  of  past  victories  as  an  incentive  to  further 
conquest.  Napoleon  lived  much  in  what  had  been  done  with 
the  thought  that  greater  things  yet  would  be  accomplished.  The 
announcement  in  our  papers  that  a  third,  fourth,  or  fifth  church 
has  been  started  in  Toledo,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  Kansas 
City,  or  some  other  center,  is  enough  to  electrify  the  entire 
Church  and  cause  every  congregation  and  every  member  in  the 
same  to  put  on  new  strength  and  go  out  to  do  more  for  God 
and  the  Church. 


126  A  Century 

It  is  useless  to  deny  that  enthusiasm  in  the  Church  is  a  posi- 
tive  need.  The  two  enthusiasts  among  the  ten  spies  made  the 
possession  of  Canaan  a  possibility.  No  member  of  our  Church 
can  read  our  literature  and  not  feel  a  rising  tide  of  purpose 
to  he  and  to  do  in  service  for  Christ  and  his  church. 

Summing  up  the  whole  matter,  allow  me  to  say  that  the  re- 
lation of  our  publishing  interests  to  the  future  life  and  growth 
of  our  denomination  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  heart  to  the 
body.  Its  present  being,  its  state  of  health,  its  future  growth,, 
its  very  life,  depend  upon  it.  • 


THE  OUTLOOK  FOE  MISSIONS  AFTER  A  CENTURY. 

William  M.  Bell,  D.  D. 

Let  us  turn  back  the  clock  of  time  to  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1800,  and  take  position  at  the  threshold  of  the  century  just 
closed.  Let  us  take  a  glance  at  world  conditions  with, 
reference  to  the  advance  made  in  giving  the  gospel  to  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth.  At  that  time  Europe  was  nominally 
Christian.  In  southern  Europe,  Christianity  had  become  some- 
what corrupted,  and,  on  the  whole,  the  churches  were  not  espe- 
cially vigorous  or  inclined  to  carry  forward  the  enterprise  of 
Christian  missions.  Asia  was  Mohammedan  and  heathen; 
Palestine  was  under  the  control  of  Moslemism;  India  was 
closed  against  the  gospel;  the  same  could  be  said  of  China  and 
Japan.  Of  Africa  little  or  nothing  was  known,  save  that  a 
number  of  civilized  nations  were  drawing  upon  its  vast  popu- 
lation for  their  slaves.  The  isles  of  the  Pacific  were  just  pass- 
ing into  the  thought  and  plan  of  the  church.  A  few  mission- 
aries had  gone  to  Tahiti.  South  America,  though  nominally 
Christian,  was  practically  in  heathenism.  North  America  was 
possessed  of  an  earnest  type  of  Christianity,  though  little  was 
being  done  for  the  evangelization  of  the  aborigines. 

AS   TO   MISSIONARY   ORGANIZATION. 

In  Europe,  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge 
had  behind  it  a  hundred  years  of  history,  and  was  pushing  for- 
ward its  work.  The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
in  Foreign  Parts  was  also  in  existence,  but  was  devoting  itself 
almost  wholly  to  work  among  British  subjects  in  Canada.  The 
Church  Missionary  Society  had  just  been  established.  The 
British  Baptist  Society  was  seven  years  old,  and  Carey  had 
been  sent  to  India.  The  London  Missionary  Society  was  five 
years  old,  and  had  begun  work  in  Tahiti,  in  South  Africa, 
and  India.    In  Germany  and  Denmark,  no  missionary  society 

127 


128  A  Century 

had  been  organized.  In  continental  Europe,  the  Moravians 
were  the  only  church  which  was  undertaking  to  carry  out  the 
great  commission. 

THE    STATUS    AT    THE   CLOSE    OF    THE    NINETEENTH    CENTURY. 

During  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  missionary  spirit  in  England  increased  rapidly.  Extensive 
revival  movements  had  quickened  the  life  of  the  churches,  and 
they  became  more  aggressive  and  consecrated.  In  our  own 
country,  perhaps  the  most  marked  movement  was  that  of  the 
Student  Volunteers.  Remarkable  advance  was  made  in  the 
evangelization  of  India.  In  China,  the  period  was  one  of  un- 
precedented extension  and  growth.  Outbreaks,  with  destruc- 
tion of  property  and  loss  of  life,  were  frequent,  and  many  mis- 
sionaries sealed  their  consecration  with  their  life's  blood. 

In  Japan,  the  influence  of  native  Christians  has  been  far 
in  excess  of  their  numbers.  The  native  church  itself  has  un- 
dertaken a  movement  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  coun- 
try in  the  present  year.  This,  of  course,  involves  but  the  mer- 
est heralding  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  This  is  especially  so  in 
those  parts  of  the  empire  where  Jesus'  name  has  never  been 
heard.  There  is  a  revival  of  attention  to  South  America,  long 
called  the  neglected  continent. 

In  Africa,  the  British  societies  made  decided  gain,  and  have 
largely  increased  their  complement  of  missionaries.  The  slavp. 
trade  was  almost  destroyed,  and  the  Congo  and  Uganda 
witnessed  the  conversion  of  multitudes.  American  missionary 
societies  made  decided  advances  in  Egypt,  Syria,  Turkey,  and 
Persia. 

EXHIBIT   OF    AGENCIES. 

At  the  New  York  Conference,  Dr.  James  S,  Dennis  sub- 
mitted the  following  authoritative  report:  Societies  actively 
engaged  in  missionary  effort,  249;  societies  supplementing  by 
service  in  special  forms  and  phases  of  work,  200 ;  women's  so- 
cieties, 88;  annual  income,  for  1898,  $19,126,120;  total  of  for- 
eign missionaries  in  the  field,  15,460;  total  of  native  agents, 
unordained    and    ordained.    77,338;    total    of    communicants. 


Room  in  tiii,  1'ktkii  Kk.aii'  IIomk, 
Where  tlie  Uniled  Brethren  Pilgrims  Worsliiped. 


The  Outlook  for  Missions  After  a  Century  129 

1,317,684;  admitted  to  the  church  during  the  last  reported  year 
of  the  century,  100,000;  attendance  in  Sunday  school,  771,928; 
total  of  the  Christian  community,  4,414,236;  educational  in- 
stitutions of  all  grades,  20,407;  pupils  in  schools,  1,049,378; 
translations  of  the  Bible,  entire  or  in  part,  427;  total  annual 
circulation  of  the  Bible,  entire  or  in  portion,  2,535,466 ;  total 
annual  circulation  of  books  and  tracts,  14,494,098;  mission 
publishing  houses  and  printing  presses,  148;  total  annual  out- 
put, 10,561,177  copies;  periodicals  published  in  the  vernacular 
on  various  fields,  366;  total  annual  circulation,  297,245;  hos- 
pitals in  operation  under  missionary  auspices,  355;  dispen- 
saries, 753 ;  total  of  patients  treated  annually,  2,579,651 ;  total 
of  separate  treatments  at  the  dispensary  or  outside,  6,647,840; 
orphanages,  213;  inmates,  13,039;  leper  homes  and  hospitals, 
90;  inmates,  5,166;  schools  for  the  blind  and  deaf  mutes,  30; 
inmates,  500;  missionary  training  institutions  in  Christian 
lands,  not  including  theological  schools  and  seminaries,  87. 
There  has  been  an  incessant  growth  of  missionary  service,  as 
indicated  by  the  steady  increase  of  missionary  agencies  during 
each  decade  of  the  past  century.  From  1649  to  1800,  12  mis- 
sionary societies  were  formed;  1800  to  1830,  22  societies  were 
formed;  1830  to  1840,  16  societies  organized;  1840  to  1850,  25; 
1850  to  1860,  34;  1860  to  1870,  41;  1870  to  1880,  57;  1880  to 
1890,  92 ;  1890  to  1900,  100. 

RAPIDITY  OF   MOVEMENT  FOR  THE  EVANGELIZATION   OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  world  is  hastening  in  great  projects  of  every  sort.  Many 
of  these  enterprises  are  closely  allied  to  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  The  old  Mediterranean  was  for  years  the  very  center 
of  the  world's  commerce  and  trade.  We  confidently  expect  the 
next  few  decades  to  place  the  Pacific  in  close  competition  with 
the  Atlantic  in  relation  to  commerce,  travel,  etc.  The  eye 
of  the  world  is  turning  from  the  populations  that  gather  about 
the  Atlantic  to  those  that  are  about  the  Pacific.  There  are 
limitations  to  the  developments  that  grow  out  of  geographical 
discoveries.  The  day  when  the  map  of  the  world  can  be 
changed  by  discovery  is  forever  past.  From  our  Golden  Gate 
9 


130  A  Centura/ 

the  outlook  is  not  to  a  new  world,  but  to  the  Orient,  hoary  with 
age.  The  event  that  will  make  the  closest  approach  in  im- 
portance to  the  discovery  of  the  New  World  will  be  the  final 
great  geographical  event — the  construction  of  the  Isthmian 
Canal.  Search  the  world's  map,  and  you  can  find  no  project 
that  can  possibly  parallel  it.  The  cutting  of  the  Suez  Canal 
was  a  great  thing  for  the  world,  the  chief  advantage  probably 
accruing  to  Great  Britain.  The  construction  of  the  Isthmian 
Canal  will  place  the  United  States  at  a  relatively  greater  ad- 
vantage. 

The  position  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  from  the  commercial 
standpoint,  must  then  be  that  o,f  final  supremacy.  No  other 
isthmus  will  remain  to  be  severed.  As  to  population,  it  is 
worthy  of  note,  as  stated  by  Dr.  Strong,  that  five  hundred  mil- 
lions of  people,  or  one-third  of  the  human  race,  are  now  resi- 
dents of  lands  that  border  on  the  Pacific.  India,  with  a  popu- 
lation of  about  three  hundred  million,  may,  for  commercial 
purposes,  be  reckoned  as  on  the  Pacific.  It  is  apparent  that 
vast  resources  are  at  the  command  of  this  one-third  of  the 
world's  population.  The  lands  that  border  on  the  Pacific  are 
capable  of  sustaining  a  vastly  increased  population.  The  popu- 
lation of  Europe  is  one  hundred  and  six  and  nine-tenths  to  the 
square  mile;  Asia,  fifty-seven  and  seven-tenths;  Africa,  fif- 
teen and  seven-tenths;  North  America,  thirteen  and  eight- 
tenths;  South  America,  five  and  three-tenths;  Australia  and 
Siberia,  one  and  four-tenths.  When  the  populations  of  the 
countries  which  have  shore  lines  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  have 
become  as  dense  as  that  of  Europe,  these  countries  will  have  a 
population  equal  to  that  of  the  entire  globe  at  the  present 
time.  The  geographers  tell  us  there  is  as  much  tillable  land 
in  America  as  in  all  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa  combined,  or 
about  ten  million  square  miles. 

The  Encyclopedia  Britannica  is  authority  for  the  statement 
that  the  American  continent,  when  fully  developed,  can  afford 
sustenance  for  three  billion  six  hundred  million  people.  The 
resources  of  that  part  of  North  America  having  shore  line  on 
the  Pacific  have  never  been  fully  estimated.    Australia  is  des- 


The  Outlook  for  Missions  After  a  Century  131 

tined  to  be  developed  in  a  marvelous  degree.  This  island  has 
already  produced  one  billion  seven  hundred  millions  of  gold. 
The  four  million  inhabitants  of  Australia  have  to  their  credit 
the  respectable  sum  of  seven  billion,  or  seventeen  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  capita,  while  their  foreign  trade  amounts  to 
the  enormous  sum  of  one  billion  per  year.  On  the  western 
fringe  of  the  vast  Pacific  are  to  be  found  the  Malay  Peninsula, 
or  Siam,  French  India,  Formosa,  Corea,  Borneo,  Sumatra, 
Java,  Luzon  and  the  lesser  Philippines,  Japan,  and  China.  In 
all  these  countries  great  changes  are  sure  to  come  soon  in  the 
methods  of  living,  and  this  will  be  equal  to  a  large  increase  in 
population.  In  all  of  these  lands  a  vast  increase  of  population 
is  permissible  before  the  proportion  is  equal  to  that  of  other 
countries.  China  is  only  one-half  as  densely  populated  as 
France,  and  if  China  were  even  as  densely  populated  as  Japan 
her  population  would  be  one  billion  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  million. 

Farther  north  on  the  Pacific  lies  Siberia,  much  larger  than 
all  Europe,  with  a  population  of  but  one  and  a  fraction  per 
square  mile.  Great  inducements  for  emigration  are  now  being 
held  out  by  the  Czar  of  Kussia.  It  is  inevitable  that  Siberia 
will  have,  before  many  years,  a  vast  population.  It  is  evident 
that,  by  a  vast  increase  in  population,  by  the  development  of 
almost  untouched  resources,  and  by  a  higher  standard  of  living 
sure  to  obtain  among  the  present  populations  of  countries  con- 
tiguous, the  Pacific  Ocean  is  destined  to  be  the  world's  greatest 
commercial  highway.  The  present  total  of  yearly  commerce 
on  the  Pacific  is  five  million  dollars,  and  Hon.  John  Barrett 
says  that  it  is  in  the  earliest  stages  of  development.  Pacific 
lands  produced,  in  1898,  a  hundred  and  seventy  million  eight 
hundred  thousand  of  gold,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  world  pro- 
duced but  a  hundred  and  fifteen  million,  nine  hundred  and 
ten  thousand;  of  silver,  a  hundred  and  ninety-two  million,  a 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand,  as  against  twenty  million,  five 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  thousand  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 
The  Pacific  Ocean  is  a  great  sapphire  set  in  a  rim  of  gold  and 
silver.     "We  now  speak  of  San  Francisco  as  three  thousand 


132  A  Century 

jiiiles  from  New  York,  but  the  time  will  come  when  New  York 
-will  be  three  thousand  miles  from  San  Francisco." 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   SOLID   ADVANCE. 

The  great  movement  known  as  the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment, having  its  origin  at  a  meeting  of  American  and  Canadian 
students,  in  1896,  has  adopted  for  its  watchword,  "The  evan- 
gelization of  the  world  in  this  generation."  The  organization 
of  the  Student  Volunteers  for  foreign  missions  now  embraces 
all  civilized  lands.  During  the  last  ten  years  more  than  two 
thousand  have  gone  to  the  front.  Their  watchword  is  domi- 
nating an  increasing  number  of  intelligent  people.  It  ex- 
presses an  inspiring  ideal,  the  task  of  our  generation.  It  ex- 
presses a  fundamental  and  most  urgent  duty.  It  means  the 
giving  to  all  men  a  fair  opportunity  of  knowing  Christ  and 
becoming  his  followers.  This  involves  the  adequate  distribu- 
tion of  missionary  agencies  and  the  omnipotent  ministry  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  It  means  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  those 
-who  are  now  living.  Our  relation  to  this  responsibility  ob- 
viously means  in  our  lifetime.  The  unevangelized,  for  whom 
we  are  especially  responsible,  live  in  this  generation.  The 
enlightened  people,  upon  whom  this  responsibility  rests,  are 
those  of  the  present  age.  This  great  work  cannot  be  effected 
except  a  sufficient  number  of  enlightened  people  accept  their 
obligation.  The  responsibility  of  the  unevangelized  begins 
when  they  have  heard  an  intelligent  message  of  Christ.  This 
enterprise  not  only  calls  for  urgent  and  aggressive  effort,  but 
also  for  persistence  and  thoroughness. 

When  the  enlightened  people  of  this  generation  shall  have 
discharged  their  obligation  to  the  unevangelized,  we  shall  find 
that,  in  advance  of  all  human  agency,  God  has  been  at  work 
in  mighty  power.  The  evangelization  of  the  world  in  this 
generation  is  a  means  to  an  end.  An  infinity  of  betterment  for 
the  world  lies  beyond  this  stage. 

This  enterprise  of  evangelizing  the  world  is  our  imperative 
duty,  because  we  owe  all  men  the  gospel. 


2' he  Outlook  for  Missions  After  a  Century  133 

This  is  our  duty,  for  all  men  need  Christ.  The  need  o£ 
the  non-Christian  world  really  beggars  description.  They  live 
under  a  burden  of  sorrow,  suffering,  and  sin  of  which  we  can. 
have  no  adequate  conception.  We  only  need  to  consider  tha 
testimony  of  the  thousands  of  missionaries  who  are  next  ta 
heathenism  to  be  convinced  of  the  powerlessness  of  the  non- 
Christian  religions.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  one  remedy^ 
for  human  sin  and  guilt  for  the  people  of  all  lands.  All  peo- 
ple and  nations  have  a  capacity  for  Christ.  He  is  able  to  sat- 
isfy and  save  the  people  of  all  races  and  tongues.  The  duty 
of  Christian  and  enlightened  people  is,  therefore,  self-evident- 
What  shall  be  the  fate  of  these  unevangelized  millions  of  this- 
generation  ?  We  only  need  to  reflect  as  to  our  own  poor  hearts- 
to  know  what  they  all  need. 

To  have  a  knowledge  of  Christ  is  to  incur  a  debt  to  every 
man  without  him.  This  obligation  is  a  most  serious  one.  We 
dare  not  undertake  to  g-ppropriate  the  gospel  for  our  own  ex- 
clusive use.  Christ  tasted  death  for  every  man.  Before  God'& 
intention  all  the  nations  and  races  are  one.  We  know  their 
need.  We  know  the  only  remedy.  They  are  within  our  reach.. 
We  are  able  to  go  or  send.  The  attitude  of  our  hearts  should 
be  expressed  in  the  significant  words  of  a  missionary  on  the- 
field:  "Give  me  thy  heart,  O  Christ,  thy  love  untold,  that  I, 
like  thee,  may  pity,  like  thee,  might  preach,  for  round  me 
spreads  on  every  side  a  waste,  drearier  than  that  that  moved 
thy  soul  to  sadness;  no  ray  hath  pierced  this  immemorial 
gloom,  and  scarce  these  darkened,  toiling  myriads  taste  even 
a  few  drops  of  fleeting,  earthly  gladness  as  they  move  on,  slow,, 
silent,  to  the  tomb." 

Let  ours  be  the  generation  with  sufficient  alertness,  courage, 
and  consecration  to  fulfill  the  unrevoked  and  last  command 
of  our  Lord.  "Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the 
things  which  I  say  ?" 

The  evangelization  of  the  world  in  this  generation  is  essen- 
tial to  the  best  life  of  the  Christian  church. 

To  know  our  duty,  and  do  it  not,  is  sin.  Neglect  and  dis- 
obedience touching  this  great  work  is  consuming  the  heart- 


134  A   Centm-y 

blood  and  power  of  our  churches.  In  many  instances  this 
accounts  for  our  weakness  and  want  of  growth.  On  this  ac- 
count we  suffer  loss  of  vitality  and  power.  The  church  of  to- 
day needs  to  take  on  her  heart  an  object  great  enough  to  engage 
all  her  power  and  attention.  Nothing  short  of  this  respon- 
sibility accepted  will  ever  call  out  and  utilize  the  unconsecrated 
power  of  Christendom.  "The  taking  of  this  great  project  upon 
her  heart  will  mean  the  salvation  of  the  church  from  her  great- 
est perils — ease,  selfishness,  luxury,  worldliness,  and  low  ideals." 
It  will  necessitate  and  promote  real  Christian  unity,  thus  pre- 
venting a  large  waste  of  force.  It  will  react  on  Christian  lands 
with  infinite  blessing.  Nothing  will  so  promote  the  work  of 
home  evangelization  and  revival  as  will  this  vast  enlargement 
of  foreign  missionary  force  and  operation.  It  is  the  testi- 
mony of  history  that  missionary  epochs  have  invariably  wit- 
nessed the  greatest  activity  and  spiritual  vigor  in  the  home 
church.  The  next  great  revival  in  Christian  lands  is  sure  to 
come  in  connection  with  a  general  and  mighty  advance  in 
world  evangelization.  Patriotism  and  loyalty  to  Christ  unite 
in  impelling  us  to  a  great  advance  movement.  The  largest 
manifestation  of  Christ  to  us  as  individuals  and  as  churches  is 
dependent  upon  our  obedience  in  this  matter.  Obedience  will 
bring  the  overwhelming,  victorious,  overawing  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

The  ohligation  to  give  the  whole  world  a  knowledge  of  Christ 
is  an  urgent  one. 

The  present  generation  is  rapidly  passing  away.  If  we  do 
not  give  them  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  who  will?  Christen- 
dom has  all  too  long  been  committing  the  evangelization  of  the 
heathen  to  coming  generations.  No  coming  generation  can 
love  and  obey  God  for  us.  We  cannot  commit  to  them  our 
share  of  preaching  Christ  to  a  heathen  world.  The  present 
generation  is  face  to  face  ivith  an  unexampled  crisis  in  all 
unevangelized  lands.  The  task  of  coming  centuries  will  be 
made  incalculably  difficult  if  we  shall  delay.  Our  generation 
confronts  unparalleled  opportunities.  No  other  generation 
has  ever  known  so  fully  the  world's  need  or  had  such  facilities 


The  Outlook  for  Mlssioris  After  a  Century  135 

for  supplying  it.  The  forces  of  evil  are  not  deferring  their 
operations  to  the  next  generation.  It  would  seem  as  if  they 
sought  the  full  consummation  of  their  deadly  work  in,  and 
with  this  generation.  Herculean  efforts  in  world  evangeliza- 
tion are  called  for  in  order  that  we  may,  in  some  measure, 
neutralize  and  supplant  the  effects  of  the  sins  of  our  own  peo- 
ples. "Because  of  the  infinite  need  of  men  without  Christ; 
because  of  the  possibilities  of  men  of  every  race  and  condition 
who  take  Christ  as  the  Lord  of  their  lives ;  because  of  the  com- 
mand of  our  Lord,  which  acquired  added  force  as  a  result  of 
nineteen  centuries  of  discovery,  of  opening  of  doors,  of  experi- 
ence in  the  Christian  church;  because  of  shameful  neglect  of 
the  past;  because  of  the  impending  crisis  and  the  urgency  of 
the  situation  in  all  parts  of  the  non-Christian  world;  because 
of  the  opportunity  for  a  greatly  accelerated  movement  in  the 
present;  because  of  the  danger  of  neglecting  to  enter  upon  a 
great  forward  movement;  because  of  the  constraining  mem- 
ories of  the  cross  of  Christ  and  the  love  wherewith  he  loved 
us,  it  is  the  solemn  duty  of  the  Christians  of  this  generation 
to  do  their  utmost  to  evangelize  the  world." 

DIFFICULTIES   IN   THE   WAY   OF   EVANGELIZING   THE   WORLD. 

External  to  the  church  on  mission  fields.  Because  of  the 
scattered  population.  The  problem  involves  almost,  if  not 
quite,  one-half  of  the  race.  In  India,  nine-tenths  of  the  popu- 
lation are  located  in  over  seven  hundred  thousand  villages.  It 
is  estimated  that  there  are  a  million  villages  in  China.  A  few 
lands  are  not  yet  open  to  the  missionary.  These  are  Thibet, 
Afghanistan,  and  parts  of  Arabia.  There  are  political  diffi- 
culties, such  as  the  opposition  of  governments  to  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospel.  In  a  few  countries  the  church  and  state  are 
yet  connected  closely.  For  instance,  Kussia,  Turkey,  parts  of 
Europe  and  India.  Unjust  and  selfish  treatment  of  non-Chris- 
tian nations  by  nations  that  are  nominally  Christian. 
Influence  of  opium  wars  upon  China,  extorted  treaty 
concessions,    Erench    protectorates    in    Africa,    the    political 


136  A  Century 

efforts  and  influence  of  Roman  Catholics  in  various 
countries.  Identification  in  Japan  of  Christianity  with 
disloyalty  to  the  emperor.  In  India,  the  identification  of 
patriotism  with  adherence  to  the  faith  of  one's  an- 
cestors. The  influence  of  unscrupulous  traitors,  godless  sail- 
ors, soldiers,  and  other  foreigners  who  visit  non-Christian  coun- 
tries. These  far  outnumber  the  missionaries,  and  their  influ- 
ence is  powerful  and  damaging.  Social  customs  and  habits  of 
heathen  populations.  Their  traditions  have  been  handed  down 
through  many  centuries.  In  many  instances  the  confession  of 
faith  in  Christ  not  only  means  social  ostracism,  but  the  for- 
feiture of  life  itself.  In  China  and  parts  of  Japan,  the  re- 
straints of  village  and  family  organization  are  great  hin- 
drances. In  India,  all  these  social  difficulties  are  embraced 
in  the  one  word  "caste."  The  tendencies  of  all  these  are  to 
forbid  or  make  exceedingly  difficult  independent  choice  of 
Christ.  Multiplied  thousands  of  the  unevangelized  cannot 
read.  In  Brazil,  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  people  are  illiterate. 
In  India,  nine  hundred  and  ninety-four  out  of  every  thousand 
women  cannot  read,  and  in  China  the  proportion  is  still 
greater.  The  intellectual  conceit  and  vanity  of  the  so-called 
learned  classes  of  China  and  India.  Difficulties  of  the  lan- 
guage. Many  of  the  non-Christian  languages  have  no  words  to 
express  the  fundamental  ideas  of  the  gospel.  Towering  over 
all  other  difficulties  of  an  external  character  are  those  of  a 
religious  and  moral  character.  Confucianism,  Hindooism, 
Mohammedanism,  and  Buddhism  number  their  adherents  by 
the  hundreds  of  millions.  Many  of  these  religions  are  hoary  with 
age.  The  very  triumphs  of  Christianity  have  aroused  them 
to  a  final  struggle.  Reaction  from  the  decay  of  confidence  in 
these  false  religions.  The  circulation  of  infidel  and  ration- 
alistic literature  in  Japan  and  India.  The  great  degradation 
of  uncivilized  tribes.  All  these  reveal  a  soil  preoccupied  by 
noxious  growths.  The  dullness  of  the  moral  sense.  The  su- 
preme obstacle  is  sin.  God,  the  Holy  Spirit,  must  call,  awaken,, 
save. 


The  Outlook  for  Missions  After  a  Century  13T 

DIFFICULTIES   WITHIN  THE  CHURCH  ON  THE   MISSION   FIELD. 

So  many  of  the  Christians  are  extremely  poor.  Lack  of 
spirituality.  Weakness  in  testimony.  Want  of  the  missionary 
spirit.  Lack  of  the  missionary  spirit  in  native  leaders.  In 
the  missionaries  themselves.  Physical  peril  from  deadly  cli- 
mate and  fearful  sanitary  conditions.  Failure  to  come  into 
close  touch  with  the  life  of  the  native  Christians.  The  wide 
divergence  between  the  customs  of  the  people  of  the  Orient  and 
the  Occident.  Failure  to  overcome  mutual  distrust  and  sus- 
picion. Difficulty  of  mastering  the  language  of  the  people. 
Of  maintaining  a  triumphant  and  ever-expanding  spiritual  life- 
Lack  of  association  with  deeply  spiritual  people.  Lack  of  con- 
ferences, conventions,  and  other  great  religious  assemblies. 

DIFFICULTIES   WITHIN   THE   CHURCH   IN   CHRISTIAN    LANDS. 

Misconceptions  as  to  missionary  work  and  obligations.  Fail- 
ure to  advance  beyond  the  view  that  the  evangelization  of  the 
world  is  optional.  Failure  to  appreciate  the  necessity  of  preach- 
ing Christ  to  all  men.  Failure  to  realize  that  the  unevangel- 
ized  millions  are  hopeless  as  long  as  they  are  Christless.  Want 
of  unity  and  cooperation  among  the  home  churches,  growing 
out  of  denominationalism,  isolation,  pride,  jealousy,  and  mis- 
understandings. Overlapping,  friction,  and  waste  of  force 
at  home.  A  secularized  and  self-centered  church.  Lack  of 
missionary  pastors. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

No  advantage  in  overlooking  the  existence,  number,  and 
greatness  of  difficulties.  We  must  deliberate  and  then  dare. 
Not  one  of  the  difficulties,  or  all  combined,  are  insuperable.  Diffi- 
culties of  equal  moment  have  been  overcome  during  the  last 
fifty  years.  During  this  time  more  than  seven  hundred  millions 
of  people  have  been  made  accessible  to  missionary  work.  God  and 
faith  have  never  announced  any  land  as  inaccessible.  High-caste 
Hindoos  have  been  converted  as  well  as  conceited  Moslems. 
Missionaries  have*  won  remarkable  trophies  among  peoples  the 
most  degraded  and  benighted.      Dr.  Griffith  John,  forty-five 


138  A  Century 

years  a  missionary  in  China,  says:  "I  do  not  consider  the 
difficulties  external  to  the  church  of  vital  importance.  The 
difficulties  within  the  church  at  home  are  the  only  ones  that 
trouble  me."  All  are  as  nothing  before  a  church  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  the  great  commission.  Those  who  are  at  the  front  and 
on  the  firing  line  declare  that  all  the  difficulties  must  go  down 
before  a  Spirit-inspired  church.  We  must  look  at  the  diffi- 
culties through  God  and  reckon  his  power  commensurate  with 
the  responsibility  he  lays  upon  us.  Difficulties  were  never  cal- 
culated to  unnerve  us.  They  should  intensify  our  activity. 
They  exist  to  be  overcome.  They  should  drive  us  to  God.  Not- 
withstanding all  the  difficulties,  judging  by  the  missionary  im- 
pulse and  success  of  the  first  century,  and  in  anticipation  of 
the  fullness  of  God's  blessing,  the  great  work  can  be  done. 


THE  ADAPTATION  AND  EQUIPMENT  OF  THE 

CHURCH  OF  THE  TWENTIETH 

CENTURY. 

I.  L.  Kephart,  D.  D. 

The  church  is  God-ordained.  It  is  his  organized  force  for 
establishing  the  kingdom  of  righteousness  in  this  world. 
Through  it  he  aims  to  bring  mankind  into  a  saved  relation  to 
himself. 

The  church's  working  instrument  is  the  fundamental  truth 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  Its  founda- 
tion is  the  power  of  that  truth,  when  re<?eived,  to  transform 
human  character,  to  change  an  impulsive,  self-confident,  vas- 
cillating,  cowardly  Peter  into  a  serene,  Christ-trusting,  firm, 
heroic  defender  of  the  faith. 

The  field  of  operation  for  the  church  is  the  world.  Its  mis- 
sion is  world-wide.  Its  message  is  for  all  mankind — the  civ- 
ilized and  the  savage,  the  enlightened  and  the  benighted,  the 
Caucasian  and  the  Hottentot,  the  free  and  the  oppressed.  Its 
time  is  now,  but  its  methods  and  adaptations  must  be  flexible, 
so  as  to  fit  the  future,  as  well  as  work  in  the  present.  Its 
truth  and  its  purpose  are  eternally  the  same,  but  its  modes  of 
operation  must  be  as  variable  as  are  the  tastes  and  conditions 
of  the  different  races  and  tribes  that  people  the  earth. 

What,  then,  of  the  adaptation  and  equipment  of  the  church 
to  meet  the  demands  and  the  opportunities  of  the  century 
upon  which  she  has  so  recently  entered? 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  no  need  of  an  increase  of  religious 
denominations.  The  church  already  has  a  sufficient  number 
of  branches  to  meet  all  the  peculiarities  and  preferences  of  our 
mongrel  humanity.  In  this  regard  there  should  be  concentra- 
tion rather  than  expansion;  utilization  rather  than  disinte- 
gration of  force.    Division  of  labor  is  a  good  thing,  but  it  has 

139 


140 


A  Centurtj 


its  limit.  Thorough  organization  is  a  great  advantage  up  ta 
a  certain  point;  but  when  division  of  labor  is  carried  so  far  as. 
to  cause  the  workers  to  stand  in  each  other's  way,  when  or- 
ganization in  the  army  is  so  drawn  out  that  all  are  officers, 
commanding,  and  there  are  no  common  soldiers  left  to  carry 
guns,  then  division  is  an  injury,  and  organization  destroys 
the  purpose  for  which  armies  exist. 

The  church  must  recognize  the  fact  that,  despite  the  ap- 
parent skepticism  and  worldliness,  there  is  pervading  human- 
ity to-day  a  greater,  more  profound,  and  more  reverent  con- 
cern for  the  ultimate  truth  of  the  living  God  than  ever  be- 
fore. This  concern  does  not  relate,  as  formerly,  to  the  detail 
activities  of  the  church,  but  it  is  directed  to  the  great  funda- 
mentals in  religious  belief.  Men,  as  never  before,  are  anx- 
iously asking,  "Is  there  a  God  ?  Is  there  for  me  an  Almighty 
Saviour?  If  there  is,  I  want  to  know  him."  As  in  all  channels, 
of  scientific  investigation,  men  are  not  satisfied  short  of  funda- 
mental truth  and  absolute  certainty;  so  in  religion  to-day, 
thinking  men  want  to  know  whether  or  not  the  teachings  and 
religion  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  are  consistent  with  the 
well-known  facts  of  the  natural  world. 

Hence,  necessity  is  upon  the  church  to  adapt  itself  to  meet- 
ing this  demand,  this  cry  for  correct  information.  She  must 
rid  herself  of  those  musty,  rusty  teachings  of  two  centuries 
ago  which  picture  the  infinite  Father  as  a  heartless  scamp 
Jupiter,  reigning  only  for  his  own  glory,  regardless  of  the 
pleasure  or  pain  of  the  sentient  beings  he  has  created;  as  an 
infinitely  powerful  being  who,  in  the  exercise  of  his  might,  is 
annually  creating  millions  of  human  beings  who,  according 
to  a  fiat  issued  by  him  away  back  in  the  recesses  of  eternity, 
will  be  and  must  be  forever  damned,  and  "all  to  the  praise  of 
his  glorious  justice." 

Having  rid  herself  of  all  such  dogma,  the  church  of  the 
twentieth  century  must  teach  a  theodicy  which,  in  the  light  of 
reason  and  common  sense,  clearly  justifies  the  ways  of  God 
with  man,  must  give  that  correct  exposition  of  the  Word  of 


Adaptation  and  Equipment  of  the  Oiurch  141 

God  which  harmonizes  with  the  great  truth  that  he  is  a  loving 
Pather,  a  gracious,  compassionate  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  a 
righteous  Judge,  and  that,  only  because  in  the  exercise  of  free 
will,  man  shuts  himself  up  in  iniquity  and  impenitency,  is  he 
banished  from  God  and  the  glory  of  his  presence  forever. 
Nor  is  it  a  difficult  task  for  the  church  to  do  this.  The  times 
are  ripe  for  it,  and  thinking  men,  skeptical  heretofore,  are 
anxiously  waiting  to  accept  these  glorious  truths.  Then,  too, 
recent  scientific  investigations  have,  by  their  results,  greatly 
aided  advancement  in  this  direction.  Bishop  Boyd  Vincent 
has  recently  well  said ; 

"The  latest,  most  critical  methods  are  re-establishing  the 
authority  of  the  New  Testament  records  of  Jesus'  life  and 
teachings;  and  the  whole  Bible  is  being  given  an  authoritative 
place  again  in  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with  the  world, 
greater  even,  because  more  reasonable  than  ever  before.  Is 
modern  thought  really  leading  us  back,  then,  to  God,  instead 
of  away  from  him?  I  believe  that  it  is,  and  that  it  is  steadily 
laying  fresh  foundations,  in  addition  to  the  old,  for  our  faith 
in  him.  The  newly-demonstrated  unity  and  harmony  of  the 
natural  universe  point  straight  to  the  conclusion  of  one  com- 
mon origin  for  it  all ;  namely,  in  God.  The  universal  reign  of 
law  in  the  natural  world,  and  the  reduction  of  all  known  forces 
to  one  universal  fact  of  force,  point  likewise  to  one  supreme, 
personal  divine  will  as  the  only  explanation  of  it  all.  And  all 
this  leads  up,  too,  to  the  old  truth  of  the  immanence  of  God  in 
his  world.  This  means  that  God  is  not  merely  before  and  above 
and  apart  from  his  world,  but  always  in  and  through  it  all, 
animating  and  inspiring  it  all,  matter  and  mind  alike,  at  all 
times.  In  other  words,  God  is  in  us  and  we  in  God;  and  this 
determines  the  true  relation  of  God  and  the  human  soul." 
He  is  our  Father,  and  we  are  his  children,  and  "as  a  father 
pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him." 

Again,  too  much  of  the  work  of  the  church  hitherto  has 
been  directed,  as  if  its  inspiration  were  wholly  drawn  from 
that  verse,  "If  I  only  get  to  heaven  when  I  die" — that  is,  toward 


142  A  Century 

securing-  the  salvation  of  the  soul  in  the  world  to  come,  to 
the  neglect  of  the  welfare  of  the  body  in  this.  Herbert  Spen- 
cer has  well  said :  "The  preservation  of  health  is  a  duty.  Few 
seem  aware  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  physical  morality."' 
In  its  adaptation,  the  church  of  the  twentieth  century  must 
do  differently.  It  must  recognize  the  common-sense,  scrip- 
tural fact  that  to  effectually  save  a  man's  soul  in  the  world  to 
come,  his  body  must  be  saved  from  physical  pollution  in  this 
life;  that  to  get  to  heaven  when  we  die,  we  must  have  heaven's 
kingdom  inaugurated  in  the  soul  and  body,  conjointly,  while 
in  this  world.  The  adaptation  and  teaching  of  the  church 
must  be  such  as  to  more  specifically  emphasize  the  truth  that 
man's  body  is  the  temple  of  God,  and  "that  if  any  man  defile 
the  temple  of  God,  him  will  God  destroy." 

The  church  of  the  twentieth  century  must  more  specifically 
adapt  its  efforts  to  the  bettering  of  social  conditions  in  this 
world.  It  must  lay  upon  men's  hearts  the  great  truth  that  if 
a  man  is  right  and  does  right,  if  he  is  at  heart  and  in  daily 
life  a  follower  of  the  Lord  Christ,  there  need  be  no  conr 
cem  as  to  his  condition  in  the  World  to  come,  but  if  he  is 
wrong  and  lives  wickedly  he  can  but  be  wrong  and  suffer  its 
consequences  in  the  world  to  come;  that  the  kind  of  a  life  a 
man  lives  is  the  kind  of  a  man  he  is,  no  matter  what  he  pro- 
fesses or  does  not  profess. 

Religion,  correctly  understood,  is  the  whole  of  life.  The  re- 
ligion of  the  church  is,  and  its  adaptation  should  be,  to  bring 
humanity  into  a  correct,  that  is,  into  a  truly  Christlike,  way 
of  living.  While  the  great  truth  must  be  recognized  and  held 
paramount  that  there  can  be  no  regeneration  of  society  with- 
out the  regeneration  of  the  individuals  who  compose  society, 
nevertheless,  there  must  be  such  method  and  adaptation  in 
the  work  of  the  church  as  will  enable  it  to  touch  effectively 
every  phase  of  human  society  and  every  kind  of  individual 
life.  The  drink  question,  the  social  evil,  Sabbath  desecration, 
and  all  kindred  pollutors  of  the  youth  of  the  land,  the  church 
must  take  hold  of  and  destroy.     Christ  said,  "I  will  give  unto 


AiUi.ptution  and  Equipment  of  the  Church  143 

thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  [that  is,  in  the 
heavenly  kingdom  on  earth]  :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose 
on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."  That  is,  in  establishing  his 
church  in  the  world  his  purpose  was,  and  still  is,  that  it  shall  be 
a  controlling  force,  so  adapted  to  society  and  so  vigorous  that 
none  of  the  social  evils  which  drag  the  youth  and  the  adult 
down  to  perdition,  can  exist,  and  that  it  will  finally  only  permit 
such  social  conditions  and  institutions  as  make  for  righteous- 
ness. The  church  is  to  be  the  creator  of  that  power  which 
makes  for  righteousness,  and  which,  working  in  the  hearts  of 
men  and  women,  will,  in  due  time,  so  lift  up  and  ennoble  the 
individual  members  of  the  church  that,  as  a  working  organi- 
zation, it  will  not  permit  social  and  organized  iniquity  to  ex- 
ist. Having  the  power  to  bind  or  destroy  all  such,  it  will  not 
hesitate  to  do  so  by  the  enacting  and  enforcing  of  civil  law,  to 
that  end. 

To-day,  in  this  country,  the  church  already  has  the  power 
numerically  to  do  this,  but  she  does;  not  recognize  or  use  her 
power.  The  adaptation  that  is  needed  is  that  which  will  cause 
the  various  branches  of  the  church  to  so  unite  and  use  their 
power  as  to  compass  this  most  desirable  social  end.  In  other 
words,  the  church  in  this  twentieth  century  must  use  its  or- 
ganized power  so  wisely  and  effectually  in  municipal,  state, 
and  national  politics  as  to  uproot  and  wipe  out  the  organized 
iniquities  which  oppress,  degrade,  rob,  and  brutalize  men, 
women,  and  children. 

The  outlook  is  hopeful.  Religious  activity  has  taken  a  gi- 
gantic stride  forward  in  the  recent  past.  It  has  directed  its 
efforts  not  only  to  the  uplifting  of  the  whole  man,  but  to  the 
salvation  of  society  as  well.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  look  at 
the  schools,  colleges,  universities,  industrial,  and  humanitar- 
ian institutions  of  the  country,  the  abolition  of  slavery,  and 
the  improved  conditions  of  labor.  But  for  the  work  of  the 
church  and  its  influence,  there  would  be  none  of  these.  How- 
ever, the  church  must  not  stop  here.     To  meet  the  demands  of 


144  A  Century 

the  twentieth  century  in  these  directions  it  must  adapt  its 
methods  to  a  more  practical,  effectual  maintenance  of  these 
institutions  already  established,  and  to  the  planting  of  simi- 
lar ones  in  all  other  lands  as  rapidly  as  her  missionaries  take 
those  countries  for  God.  It  is  by  her  marvelous  benevolences 
in  all  these  directions  that  the  church  commends  herself  to 
the  respect  and  support  of  the  thinking  men  of  all  lands. 

As  to  the  equipment  of  the  church,  time  will  permit  calling 
attention  to  but  a  few  points: 

1.  Intensified  spirituality  is  needed.  The  love  of  God 
mightily  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of  all  its  membership, 
clerical  and  lay,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  the  cruci- 
fixion of  all  selfishness  and  self-seeking,  and  the  filling  of  all 
with  an  over-commanding  ardor  for  the  salvation  of  the  un- 
saved— ^that  is  the  first  and  most  essential  equipment  needed. 
Were  all  who  profess  to  be  Christians  to-day  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  serving  others,  as  the 
Christians  were  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  how  soon  the  whole 
world  would  become  practically  and  actively  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

2.  The  church  needs  to  be  equipped  with  a  ministry  that 
is  thoroughly  qualified  physically,  intellectually,  spiritually — 
brave  men,  consecrated  men,  able,  open,  candid  men,  men 
stripped. of  all  self-seeking,  men  in  whose  life  and  teachings 
the  world  will  see  a  daily  exemplification  of  the  life  and  spirit 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Of  course,  the  fact  is  recognized  that,  as  a 
class,  the  ministry  of  to-day  is  made  up  of  the  best  men  to  be 
found  in  any  of  the  professions,  but  the  ministry  of  the 
twentieth-century  church  must  be  still  better.  In  our  humble 
judgment  the  glaring  defect  of  the  ministry  of  to-day,  as 
seen  especially  in  the  pastors  of  very  many  of  the  great  city 
churches,  is  a  sad  lack  of  moral  backbone.  They  are  either 
afraid,  or  do  not  want  to  inveigh  against  the  great  political, 
municipal,  and  social  sins  that  are  ruining  so  many.  They 
seem  to  fear  public  sentiment,  the  wealthy  deacons,  and  elders 
of  their  churches,  the  opinions  and  preferences  of  the  leaders 


5  'Z 
7.  2 


m  ^ 

"^    Sac 


:;  o 
^  c 


C3    O 


Z    Z 


■A    > 


The  Refokjiei)  ciiLitcii,  1-"i:i:i)Ki;u'K.  Md. 
It  was  from  lliis  chun-li  tliat  otterbiMii  was  locked  during  liis  pastorate 
between  17(10  and  17()").     His  carncsi  uvanjielifal  preaching  awakened  oppo- 
sition  to  the  extent   tliat  a  majority  determined  to  get  rid  of  him.     To 
etteet  this  thev  locked  the  ehurch  door. 


Adaptation  and  Equipment  of  the  Church  145 

in  the  higher  social  circles.  What  is  needed  in  our  pulpits  of 
the  twentieth  century  is  men  who,  like  Peter  and  John,  are 
brave  enough  to  brook  public  opinion,  declare  the  plain  gospel 
in  a  Christlike,  loving  spirit,  and  say,  "We  ought  to  obey  God 
rather  than  men." 

3.  The  church  of  the  twentieth  century  needs  a  much 
larger  equipment  than  she  now  has  of  earnest,  consecrated  lay 
workers,  both  men  and  women.  While  it  is  the  special  work 
of  the  ministry  to  give  themselves  to  the  preaching  of  the 
word,  it  is  certainly  the  duty  of  the  laity  to  give  themselves 
more  effectively  to  the  business  interests  and  the  social  work 
of  the  church.  This  special  feature  of  the  original  church 
organization  (see  Acts  6:3,  4)  has  been  far  too  much  over- 
looked; hence,  there  is  great  need  of  return  to  primitive 
methods  in  this  regard.  The  crying  need  of  the  church  to-day 
is  a  wonderful  awakening  in  the  direction  of  attendance  of  all 
the  members  at  the  stated  public  services.  The  weakness  of 
the  church  to-day  is  the  great  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of 
the  masses  of  her  membership  in  the  work  of  the  church. 
Members  who  do  not  attend  divine  service  once  in  a  month 
show  thereby  that  they  care  not  for  the  work  in  which  thje 
church  is  engaged. 

4.  An  essential  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  church  of  the 
twentieth  century  is  an  adequate  supply  of  church  literature. 
The  church  and  the  home  are  the  two  great  saving  institu- 
tions of  society.  Protect  the  home  by  supplying  it  liberally 
with  pure,  inspiring  reading  matter  and  you  build  up  the 
church.  Demoralize  the  home  and  the  church  is  weakened  at 
its  foundation.  Hence,  the  church  of  the  twentieth  century 
must  not  only  seek  to  conserve  the  personal  piety  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  home,  but  it  must  make  war  upon  and  overthrow 
the  legalized  iniquities  that  so  insidiously  besot  parents  and 
corrupt  children.  This  can  be  done  largely  by  supplying  the 
homes  with  periodicals  and  books,  the  very  best  possible.  The 
present  is  distinctly  a  reading  age,  and  the  years  as  they  come 
and  go  will  continually  advance  in  this  direction.     To  save 

10 


146  A  Century 

the  people  from  being  polluted  with  the  trashy,  the  church 
must  supply  them  with  the  best.  To  reach  and  instruct  the 
people,  and  make  them  more  and  more  churchly  and  active 
in  church  work,  they  must  be  informed  through  live,  high- 
grade,  religious  periodicals  of  what  the  church  is  doing,  and 
of  matters  of  importance  as  they  transpire  in  the  world.  And 
to  this  end  the  church,  in  her  various  branches,  must  main- 
tain publishing  houses  that  are  abreast  of  the  very  best  the 
world  can  afford. 

Lastly,  an  equipment  is  needed  that  will  effectively  em- 
phasize and  push  world-wide  evangelism.  This  implies  vigor- 
ous missionary,  church  erection,  young  people's,  and  Sunday- 
school  organizations.  True,  these  already  exist,  and  are  main- 
tained by  every  branch  of  the  church  worthy  the  name,  but 
the  twentieth  century  work  to  be  done  demands  that  they  all 
be  consantly  increasing  in  zeal  and  efficiency. 

fThe  outlook  is  inspiring.  The  workers  fall,  but  the  work 
goes  on,  for,  in  the  language  of  the  poet, 

"Humanity  sweeps  onward; 
Where  to-day  the  martyr  stands, 

On  the  morrow  crouches  Judas  with  the  silver  in  his  hands ; 
For  in  front  the  cross  stands  ready,  and  the  crackling  fagots  bum, 
And  the  hooting  mob  of  yesterday  in  silent  awe  return 
To  gather  up  the  scattered  ashes  in  history's  golden  urn." 


PART  V. 

Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church 

BALTIMORE,  MARYLAND,  MAY  14,  1901. 


The  culminating  service  of  the  centenary  celebration  was 
held  in  the  Otterbein  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where 
Otterbein,  the  founder  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  was 
pastor  at  the  time  of  his  death.  On  May  14,  an  excusion  train 
left  Frederick,  Maryland,  carrying  between  five  and  six  hun- 
dred persons — Bishops,  delegates  to  General  Conference,  mem- 
bers of  the  Woman's  Board,  and  others,  going  on  the  pilgrim- 
age to  Baltimore.  The  morning  was  clear,  the  air  cool  and 
invigorating.  A  little  before  10  A.  m.,  the  party  landed  in 
Baltimore,  and  was  met  by  Eev.  A.  Schmidt,  pastor  of  the 
old  Otterbein  Church,  and  others,  and  conducted  to  the 
church.  As  the  pilgrims  approached,  the  bell  rang  out  a  vig- 
orous welcome,  and  the  party  filed  into  the  large  audience 
chamber,  crowding  every  nook  and  corner,  aisles  and  gallery, 
the  great  pipe  organ  discoursing  inspiring  music  all  the  while. 
The  church  had  been  recently  beautified,  inside  and  out,  and 
was  richly  decorated  with  flowers,  and  a  large  portrait  of  Otter- 
bein, in  oil,  set  in  a  wreath  of  evergreen  decked  with  white  and 
red  roses,  hung  in  the  recess  above  the  pulpit.  Bishop  N. 
Castle,  D.  D.,  the  senior  Bishop  of  the  denomination,  pre- 
sided, and  delivered 

THE   OPENING   ADDRESS. 

When  Paul  took  his  stand  on  Mars  Hill,  amid  the  classic 
glory  and  boast  of  Grecian  philosophy,  and  looked  around  on 
the  famous  mountains,  valleys,  and  seas  of  Greece,  he  took 
occasion  to  utter  some  of  the  most  sublime  truths  of  our  holy 

147 


148  A  Century 

Christianity.  He  proclaimed  the  true  God;  his  universal  su- 
premacy in  the  world  of  mind  and  matter,  his  ubiquity,  his 
creative  and  redeeming  power,  and  his  final  adjudication  of  the 
affairs  of  his  moral  universe. 

As  Paul  found  occasion,  in  doubtless  a  more  magnificent 
material  outlook  than  we  possibly  have  to-day,  for  the  utter- 
ance of  these  great,  fundamental  principles,  may  we  not  hope 
to  find  themes  and  speech  befitting  this  splendid  and  magnificent 
occasion,  though  solemn,  that  finds  us  in  this  old,  historic 
church?  How  the  voices  of  a  vanished  century  come  ringing 
down  through  its  aisles  and  hallways,  mingling  with  our  voices 
within  these  sacred  walls ! 

Brethren,  we  do  not  meet  alone  in  this  church  to-day.  Out 
from  behind  the  seen  stands  the  unseen,  a  very  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses from  all  lands  and  from  all  time.  We  are  to-day  a  cen- 
ter of  a  great  company.  May  we  be  worthy  of  this  presence 
and  of  this  day  in  this  holy  place ! 

What  an  inheritance  we  have  entered  into!  What  a  large 
fellowship  of  the  past  bids  us  onward!  What  a  future  of  op- 
portunities invite  us  forward !  How  much  better  our  day  than 
the  days  of  the  fathers !  God  meant  that  the  days  should  grow 
better  and  better.  It  is  said  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  He- 
brews, referring  to  the  ancient  worthies,  that  "God  provided," 
or  foresaw,  "some  better  thing  for  us,  that  they  without  us 
should  not  be  made  perfect."  What  an  overwhelming  thought 
that  we,  in  our  day,  and  by  our  services,  are  perfecting  the  lives 
and  the  work  of  the  fathers!  No  marvel  that  the  twelfth  of 
Hebrews  presents  that  wonderful  perspective,  where  gallery  on 
gallery,  and  tier  on  tier  are  crowded  with  excited  and  expectant 
faces,  watching  the  progress  of  the  church  through  the  cen- 
turies. 

What  a  responsibility  to  sustain  this  work  of  the  past!  It 
cost  too  much  to  suffer  decline  and  final  failure.  What  if  the 
sons  of  the  Republic  let  liberty  perish?  Go  back  to  old  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  in  Philadelphia,  and  look  at  that  table  on 
which  a  memorable  document  awaited  the  signature  of  men. 
Around  it  stood  a  sober-looking  company  of  heroes,  with  the 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church  149 

question  before  them,  "Shall  we  sign  it,  and,  if  need  be,  seal 
it  with  our  blood?"  The  decision  was  made.  They  signed  it, 
and  the  greatest  republic  and  the  greatest  nation  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  was  born.  This  was  a  crisis-hour,  and  God  had 
the  men  for  the  hour.  These  brave  men  did  more  than  they 
knew.  To-day  we  stand  at  the  head  of  nations.  We  are  lead- 
ing the  world  toward  a  newer  and  grander  civilization.  Our 
growth  as  a  nation  is  phenomenal.  In  1607  we  numbered  102 
souls.  Now,  in  our  home  dominion,  we  number  about  seventy 
millions.  What  history  we  have  made  during  a  century  of 
national  life !  What  institutions  we  have  builded !  What  prin- 
ciples we  have  developed!  What  a  country  we  have,  and  still 
we  are  growing.  The  sun  never  goes  down  on  our  territory. 
He  slips  his  cable,  and  the  shimmering  light  of  day  fades  on 
our  Philippine  possessions  only  to  transform  New  England 
into  a  scene  of  glory. 

We  applaud  earthly  heroes  who,  when  dying,  bid  men  fight. 
We  catch  up  the  last  words  of  Marmion,  and,  turning  them  into 
poetic  form,  shout,  "Charge !  Chester,  charge !  On !  Stanley, 
on !"  But  when  we  have  traced  the  moral  heroes  of  the  world, 
as  they  have  fought  the  battles  of  faith,  or,  as  Paul  phrases  it, 
"the  good  fight  of  faith,"  all  military  glory  pales  and  grows  dim 
in  the  comparison.  What  has  not  faith  conquered?  In  the 
beginning  of  time  it  conquered  death,  putting  a  man  straight 
into  heaven,  it  saved  from  the  overthrow  of  the  world,  made 
a  highway  in  the  sea,  crumbled  mighty  fortifications,  conquered 
kingdoms,  tamed  wild  beasts,  rendered  fire  and  sword  harm- 
less, scattered  hostile  armies,  gave  mothers  their  children  from 
the  dead,  and  endured,  in  a  glorious  triumph,  all  manner  of 
torture  and  privations — mockings,  scourgings,  bonds,  imprison- 
ments, stoning,  wandering  in  deserts  and  in  mountains,  and 
living  in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth — all  that  a  better  resur- 
rection might  be  obtained. 

This  same  power  sustained  and  rendered  valiant  the  fathers 
and  the  pioneers  of  our  Church.  No  other  power  could  have 
done  this.  It  was  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible  that  stayed  them 
amid  the  desolation  of  their  wilderness  life.    We  are  the  succes- 


150  A  Century 

sors  of  such  illustrious  heroes,  and  the  heritors  of  such  a 
glorious  past.  Will  we  sustain  all  its  wealth  of  suffering,  trial, 
and  triumph?  If  we  do  not,  then  it  must  remain  forever  in- 
complete. They,  without  us,  cannot  be  made  perfect.  We,  as 
the  children  of  Otterbein,  are  carrying  his  work  forward  to 
larger  triumph  and  greater  completion.  I  am  sure  we  have 
something  to  prize,  something  to  be  thankful  for,  something 
to  be  loyal  to,  and  something  worthy  of  perpetuation. 

How  we  ought  to  be  encouraged  by  such  a  past!  If  the 
scene  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Hebrews  represents  the  gath- 
ering of  the  past  to  witness  and  encourage  the  present,  how 
we  should  zealously  and  loyally  strive  for  its  perpetuity  and  en- 
largement !  We  do  not  have  to  lay  foundations,  to  begin  things. 
We  have  only  to  carry  things  forward,  to  keep  them  moving, 
to  complete  the  work  so  well  begun.  Paul  said,  "As  a  wise 
masterbuilder,  I  have  laid  the  foundation,  and  another  buildeth 
thereon." 

If  Otterbein  is  permitted  to  look  on  this  scene  to-day,  I  am 
sure  his  fears  are  all  and  forever  allayed  as  to  whether  the  work 
vdll  stand  and  endure  the  fiery  test.  With  this  gathering  of 
his  children  from  all  sections  of  this  great  country,  and  from 
beyond  the  seas,  in  this  centennial  General  Conference,  he 
must  find  the  strongest  guarantee  that  his  work  is  abiding,  and 
that  he  did  not  live  and  labor  in  vain. 

Who  can  tell  the  value  of  a  man?  What,  the  value  of  Co- 
lumbus ?  America,  is  the  answer.  What,  the  value  of  Washing- 
ton? The  mightiest  republic  on  earth,  is  the  answer.  What, 
the  value  of  a  Lincoln  ?  The  freedom  of  four  millions  of  slaves, 
the  answer.  What,  the  value  of  a  Wesley?  A  church  number- 
ing her  converts  by  millions,  the  answer.  What,  the  value  of 
Otterbein?  A  church  the  most  American  and  democratic  in 
government,  evangelical  and  catholic  in  spirit,  and  standing 
for  equality  of  rights  and  reformatory  in  morals,  the  answer. 

Influence  is  immortal.  "The  righteous  shall  be  had  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance."  However  enduring  monuments  may 
be,  they  finally  crumble.  The  dangerous  and  desolating  years 
reduce  granite  and  marble  to  dust.    Here  we  stand  and  listen 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church  151 

to  the  swash  of  waves  on  the  beach  of  a  sea  stretching  shore- 
less and  unrimmed.  How  the  billows  break  and  boom  over 
sunken  forms  of  beauty  and  love !  We  tread  upon  the  genera- 
tions of  sixty  centuries.  Agencies  of  death  sweep  the  genera- 
tions away  as  with  a  flood.  Where  is  there  a  table  without  an 
empty  chair  ?  A  hearthstone  without  a  vacant  place  ?  A  way- 
side without  a  grave  ?  Who  of  us  that  has  not  some  one  under 
the  "green  of  the  grass  and  the  blue  of  the  sky"  ? 

Now,  how  may  we  best  overcome  this  awful  oblivion?  How 
best  forestall  the  forgetfulness  of  the  future?  Is  -there  an 
unfailing  way  by  which  one  may  fix  his  name  in  the  affectionate 
memory  of  the  world  around  him?  Certainly.  Enthrone  Christ 
where  it  is  his  supreme  right  and  pleasure  to  reign,  and  death 
cannot  obliterate  such  a  life.  That  life  survives  the  shock  of 
the  sepulcher. 

Influences  set  in  motion  by  holy  men  survive  all  time.  Jesus 
said,  "He  that  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die."  The 
influence  of  such  lives  builds  what  is  greater  than  kingdoms 
and  republics.  A  distinguished,  Southern  orator,  when,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  capital  of  the  nation,  said,  as  reported,  "Here 
is  the  home  of  my  nation."  A  few  weeks  after  this  he  spent 
a  night  in  an  old-fashioned  country  home,  where  the  Bible  was 
read,  and  the  children  gathered  around  the  family  altar  in 
common  fellowship  and  prayer.  On  leaving  this  home,  he  said, 
"I  was  mistaken  in  Washington,  That  pile  of  marble,  magnifi- 
cent as  it  is,  is  not  the  home  of  my  country,  where  are  reared 
the  men  and  women  of  my  country."  What  a  tribute  to  Chris- 
tian influence! 

Why  are  we  in  the  church  of  Otterbein  and  at  his  grave? 
We  wish  to  keep  his  memory  green  and  his  influence  fresh  and 
vigorous.  We  have  poured  forth  a  very  exodus  from  our  homes 
to  this  sacred  spot,  that  we  may  freshen  the  cherished  memories 
of  earlier  years.  Here  is  youthful  manhood,  with  those  whose 
years  are  multiplying  upon  their  heads,  but  in  heart  we  all  per- 
sistently refuse  to  grow  old.  We  have  all  honored  ourselves  by 
coming  to  this  sacred  spot.  These  ancestral  memories  ought 
to  be  kept  alive.    We  should  remember  the  best  deeds  and  the 


152  A  Century 

truest  lives  of  the  past.  It  is  a  great  stimulus  to  keep  in  mind 
that  we  have  ancestors  whose  names  are  in  the  annals  of  an 
honored  past.  In  Otterbein  and  his  coadjutors  we  have  names 
worth  remembering. 

ADDRESS    OF   WELCOME    BY   REV.    A.    SCHMIDT. 

In  the  name  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  this  church,  and  of 
the  congregation,  I  greet  the  honored  General  Conference, 
our  worthy  Bishops,  the  ministers,  the  lay  delegates,  and  all 
visitors  and  friends,  most  heartily,  and  bid  them  welcome  to 
the  centennial  celebration  in  this  church,  the  mother  church 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

We  stand  upon  memorable  historic  ground,  upon  the  very 
spot  where  one  of  the  greatest  divines  of  America  labored. 
The  revered  Father  Otterbein,  the  founder  and  first  Bishop 
of  our  Church,  preached  the  gospel  here  from  1774  until  1813, 
a  period  of  thirty-nine  years,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
One  hundred  and  fifteen  years  old  is  this  church,  but  in  spite 
of  her  old  age  she  stands  before  us  to-day  grown  young  again. 
In  her  new  garments  she  appears  an  adorned  bride,  or,  still 
more  appropriately,  as  an  honored  mother,  who,  especially  on 
this  festival  day,  rejoices  over  the  thousands  of  daughters  and 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  children  which  have  been  born 
to  her  in  the  course  of  this  century. 

With  youth  renewed  stands  the  house  of  God,  but  equally 
so  the  present  congregation,  which,  in  spite  of  its  existence 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  years,  is  as  spiritual  and 
as  full  of  vitality  as  one  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  days  of 
Otterbein. 

Although  we  have  a  goodly  number  of  fathers  and  mothers 
in  Israel,  the  congregation  is  made  up  for  the  most  part  of 
young  persons  and  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  prime  of  life, 
who  consider  it  an  honor  to  be  members  of  this  honorable  old 
church.  I,  too,  esteem  it  an  honor  and  an  especial  privilege 
that  for  eight  years  I  have  been  permitted  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel here,  where  Otterbein  labored  so  many  years  with  great 
blessing. 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church  153 

This  church  is  considered  the  mother  of  the  other  United 
Brethren  churches  in  Baltimore.  Through  her  own  spiritual 
power,  and  her  financial  help,  seven  churches  have  been  es- 
tablished in  this  city.  Five  of  these  are  growing.  Upon 
these  the  mother  looks  with  pride  and  interest.  Unfortunate- 
ly, two  have  died,  one  in  infancy,  and  one  more  mature. 

But  this  old  Otterbein  Church  is  not  only  the  mother  of 
the  United  Brethren  churches  in  Baltimore,  but  of  the 
United  Brethren  churches  everywhere.  She  is  entitled  to 
this  honor  as  the  first  and  oldest  United  Brethren  church. 
Here  Otterbein  spent  the  greatest  nimiber  of  years  of  his 
ministerial  life.  From  this  city  he  undertook  his  evangelical 
tours  to  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia;  from  this 
point  he  organized  and  superintended  churches;  here  it  was 
that  he  appointed  ministers,  taught  and  instructed  them,  and 
in  the  parsonage  of  this  church,  the  first  United  Brethren 
ministers  were  ordained.  As  his  dust  for  eighty-eight  years 
rests  in  front  of  this  church,  so  his  spirit  rules  in  the 
church  and  makes  itself  felt  in  the  assemblies  and  services 
which  take  place  here. 

When  one  hundred  years  ago  the  conference  was  held  in 
Frederick,  Maryland,  there  were  only  thirty-one  ministers  in 
the  denomination,  who  chose  Otterbein  to  be  their  Bishop; 
to-day  the  church  has  1,900  itinerant  preachers,  493  local 
preachers,  four  Bishops,  a  goodly  number  of  colleges,  and  one 
theological  Seminary,  with  excellent  faculties,  where  young 
men,  who  wish  to  consecrate  themselves  to  the  ministry,  can 
receive  a  good  preparation.  One  hundred  years  ago  the 
church  had  found  its  way  into  three  States — Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  Virginia — and  to-day  it  is  spread  over  the 
majority  of  States  in  the  Union,  and  has  successful  missions 
in  Germany,  Africa,  China,  Japan,  and  on  the  island  of 
Porto  Rico. 

All  the  streams  of  blessing  which  in  the  course  of  the  past 
century  have,  by  means  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  been 
poured  out  upon  this  land  and  other  lands,  find  their  source 


154  A  Century 

in  this  mother-church.  Looking  back  upon  this  past  century, 
we  have  abundant  reason  to  thank  God,  and  we  must  say, 
"The  Lord  has  done  great  things  for  us;  the  Lord  has  done 
great  things  in  us,  and  the  Lord  has  done  great  things 
through  us." 

I  close  now  with  the  prayer  that  the  Spirit,  which  Otter- 
bein  possessed  in  so  great  a  measure,  may  come  upon  us  to- 
day, not  only  upon  this  assembly,  but  also  upon  the  whole 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  upon  all  the  churches  in  the 
world,  so  that  during  the  twentieth  century  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ  may  be  extended  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth;  that  all  scepters  and  all  crowns  of  this  world  may  be 
laid  at  his  feet,  and  all  nations  may  worship  him  as  their 
Lord  and  God. 

We  consider  it  a  great  honor  that  this  jubilee  service  should 
be  held  in  this  the  old  mother-church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  which  was  erected  by  our  Father  Otterbein. 
And  what  I  said  in  German  I  will  say  again,  May  God  bless 
this  congregation  assembled  in  this  his  own  church,  and  may 
the  Holy  Ghost,  that  Otterbein  possessed  in  so  large  a  quantity, 
come  down  from  heaven  upon  this  congregation,  upon  all  the 
United  Brethren  churches,  and  upon  all  churches.  May  the 
twentieth  century  bring  the  greatest  success  which  this  Church 
ever  had.  May  the  gospel  be  preached  to  all  nations.  May 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  the  King  of  all  kings  and  the  Lord  of 
all  lords.  May  this  congregation  here,  and  all  United  Breth- 
ren churches  be  the  holy  temple  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  can 
dwell  and  be  himself  in  all  his  glory  and  power,  is  my  wish, 
and  again  I  express  my  hearty  welcome  to  the  General  Con- 
ference in  this  old  house  of  worship. 

In  introducing  the  program  of  speakers,  Bishop  Castle  said : 
"I  am  very  certain  that,  whether  you  understand  all  that 
this  brother  said  in  the  first  part  of  his  address,  you  are  all 
well  assured  that  you  are  welcome.  No  one  has  ever  known  the 
German  element  of  this  Church,  and  associated  with  it,  but 
that  he  has  found  out  that  the  German  heart  is  a  very  large 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterhein  Church  155 

lieart,  and  our  German  brethren  and  sisters  prove  well  their 
extraction.  They  are  the  descendants  of  that  great,  broad- 
hearted  man  that  could  embrace  one  of  another  faith  and  an- 
other profession,  putting  his  arms  about  him,  and  saying,  'We 
are  brethren.'  That  is  the  temper  of  our  German  people.  You 
may  be  well  assured  that  you  are  welcome,  and  I  am  glad  that, 
in  this  day  of  broader  things  and  larger  philanthropy  and  be- 
stowment  of  the  spirit  of  unity,  we  have  come  to  a  brighter 
day  for  Christian  work  and  Christian  fellowship. 

"In  Christ  Jesus  we  are  all  one.  There  is  no  male  and  no 
female.  We  stand  on  one  common  level,  and  I  am  glad  this 
Church  accords  to  the  womanhood  of  the  country  an  equal 
right  with  the  manhood,  that  equal  right  to  the  sister  that  she 
does  to  the  brother  to  stand  on  the  platform  or  in  the  pulpit 
or  anywhere  proclaiming  the  Word  of  Life  and  helping  to  re- 
deem this  world.  I  do  not  know  what  we  would  do  if  it  were 
not  for  the  sisters  of  the  Church.  Woman  has  always  stood 
close  to  Christ,  and  I  do  not  marvel  that  she  has,  and  I  do  not 
marvel  that  we  have  that  early  record  of  how  Lydia  was  con- 
verted. It  was  all  such  a  quiet,  blessed  conversion,  just  like 
pulling  the  thin  veil  away  from  the  heart, — for  I  think  it  was 
not  very  thick, — just  a  thin  veil  away  from  the  heart,  and  then 
opening  up  to  that  longing,  hungry  heart  the  great  fountain  of 
wealth  of  infinite  Love.  How  Lydia  was  converted — what  a 
quiet,  blessed  affair!  And  that  is  about  the  way  it  is  with 
woman.  Man  has  to  have  something  of  the  heroic  to  bring  him, 
but  woman  is  brought  by  the  quiet,  easier  methods  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  she  is  the  more  heroic  when  she  is  brought.  She  will 
endure  more  with  larger  patience  than  man.  She  is  more  loyal 
to  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son.  She  will  follow  him  to  his  trial  and 
to  his  crucifixion.  She  will  be  first  at  his  grave  and  last  at  his 
tomb  and  first  to  proclaim  the  risen  Lord.  So  I  am  glad  in  this 
celebration  to  have  the  honor  and  privilege  of  having  woman 
associated  with  it.  We  honor  ourselves  by  giving  her  this 
blessed  place.  We  will  now  listen  to  a  centennial  poem  by  Mrs. 
L.  K.  Miller,  editor  of  the  Woman's  Evangel,  subject: 


156  A   Century 

A  HUNDKED  YEARS. 

A  hundred  years !    Oh,  who  that  stands  to-day 
In  this  great  throng  can  grasp  the  meaning  of 
A  hundred  years?    To  trace  it  backward  day 
By  day,  and  seek  to  gather  up  impact 
The  doing,  thinking,  living  of  one  soul — 
One  single  mortal  life !     What  heights  of  joy. 
What  deeps  of  woe,  what  humdrum  toil  between ! 
And  then  the  sum — the  myriad  lives  that  stretch 
The  century  through  !    Oh,  think  ! — a  hundred  years ! 

Step  softly  here  to-day,  my  friends ;  right  here 

Beside  this  mound,  perchance  the  rustle  of 

Angelic  wings  may  touch  thy  ear  or  fan 

Thy  cheek  or  brow ;  one  feels  the  spirit-tread 

Of  saints  who  patient  toiled  a  hundred  years 

Ago,  whose  feet  then  echo  waked  on  pavement  stones ! 

With  one  wild  bound  we  leap  the  century  o'er, 

And  stand  right  here,  a  century  agone ! 

What  stillness  reigns  in  this  small  rustic  town ! 

Just  a  few  thousand  souls  to  meet  and  greet ; 

But  at  the  evening-tide  on  yon  green  sward, 

Or  play-browned  knoll,  what  sweet,  unfettered  glee — 

The  children  playing  in  the  quaint  old  town! 

Oh,  pause,  sweet  memory ! — No  rush  of  cars, 

No  madd'ing  whistle's  scream,  or  whirl  of  wheel ! 

No  wires  above  our  heads  in  quivering  tones 

Like  human  heart-strings,  bringing  in  the  news 

Of  weal  or  woe  of  yesternight  forsooth, 

Or  of  this  very  morn — of  good  or  ill — 

From  myriad  cities  in  the  sisterhood 

Of  States,  or  from  the  far-off  sea-girt  isles. 

Or  from  old  England's  shores,  or  the  far  East, 

Which  sleeps  in  its  dark  heathen  night  as  dead! 

Where  myriad  idols  lift  their  hateful  forms, 

An  insult  to  the  mighty  God  of  heaven  ! 

We  little  reck  of  all  the  wide  world's  woes ! 

Close  to  this  town  stand  the  primeval  woods. 

In  rich,  unbroken  green,  stretching  toward  heaven ; 

From  out  whose  wilds  the  timid,  meek-eyed  deer 

In  wild  bounds  leap  o'er  dale  or  babbling  brook ; 

Within  whose  depths  crouch  fierce  and  direful  beasts 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church  157 

Of  prey ;  while  flocks  of  game  tempt  oft  the  shot 

Of  hunter  bold ;  and  wild  birds  clear  and  sweet 

Trill  their  glad  songs,  waking  at  early  dawn 

The  drowsy  swain. 

And  here,  forsooth,  the  red  man  lurks  the  while, 

In  the  deep  shadows  of  the  wild,  wild  wood. 

Chafing  in  grief  beneath  the  white  man's  rule ! 

Ah,  think — recall !    An  awful  chasm  is 

A  hundred  years. 

We  listen  for  the  voices  of  the  men 

Who  planned  and  wrought  with  hand,  and  heart, 

and  brain, 
A  hundred  years  ago !     Our  grandsires  they — 
Our  fathers  yet  unborn ! 
Come,  gather  close  about  this  sacred  mound 
And  let  us  hear  again  our  grandsires  speak 
From  out  the  records  of  the  hallowed  past. 
What  of  our  Church  a  hundred  years  ago? 
A  little  group  we  find — a  handful  mere, 
Who  stood  for  God  and  right,  who  sought  not  fame, — 
Sought  first  to  know  His  will  who  spoke  from  heav'n, 
Who  sought  not  honors  from  the  hands  of  men, 
But  wept  when  honors  came,  nor  deemed  themselves 
Worthy  to  take  the  highest  proffered  place. 
Beside  them  stood,  we  know,  their  fair-faced  dames — 
Stood  by  and  onward  urged  them  in  their  toil, 
Tho'  silent  oft  the  record  of  their  deeds. 

We  know  they  lived,  and  planned,  and  wrought,  and  prayed. 
And  gathered  up  the  tangled  threads  that  make 
The  warp  and  woof  of  life  until  "Well  done" 
Was  whispered  from  the  throne — "Well  done ;  come  home." 
Oh,  honored  grandsires  and  grandames !  we  bless 
The  God  who  gave  you  birth  and  sturdy  soul 
To  brave  the  formal  church,  the  rigid  times, 
The  persecutions  bold,  that  make  men  quail 
Of  weaker  spirit-mold.    We  sign  your  creed. 
We  link  our  lives  with  yours,  and  here  we  stand, 
"United  Brethren  in  the  Christ,"  after 
A  hundred  years  !     United  still 
In  Him,  who  came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost. 
Come  closer  to  the  sacred  mound  to-day — 
Come!     Let  us  speak  the  praise  of  him  who  gave 
Us  name  and  sturdy  creed  to  suit  the  times ; 
Our  own — our  strong,  heroic  Otterbein  ! 


158  A  Century 

God  grant  that  more  and  more  his  robust  worth 

May  help  mold  characters  of  strongest  cast 

To  preach  the  living  word  to  dying  men. 

We  hail  this  day  of  days  that  brought  us  here, 

To  stand  in  sacred  fellowship  beside 

This  tomb.     This  Church,  his  fittest  monument, 

With  colleges  and  school  of  sacred  lore, 

With  mission  fields  and  martyrs'  graves  in  far- 

Off  heathen  lands,  and  on  old  ocean's  isles 

With  true  souls  manned ! 

With  hundred  thousands  whom  the  century  won, 

And  myriad  youth  and  children  linked  in  name — 

May  these,  all  these,  go  marching  down  the  years 

With  torches  in  their  hands — torches  of  truth ; 

May  virtue  grow  more  strong,  and  sin  and  greed 

Meet  stern  rebuke  until  our  ministry 

To  earth  be  crowned  by  Christ's  "Well  done,  well  done." 

Come,  let  us  wake  to  see  our  mission  true; 
Let  us  the  voice  of  duty  hear  and  heed ; 
Let  us  arise  to  freedom's  star-lit  height, 
For  half  we  're  bound  by  pleasure's  subtle  chain ; 
Half  worship  we  at  shrines  of  ease  and  gold. 
Let  us,  with  vision  clear,  our  duty  see. 
And  haste,  like  Mary,  from  the  tomb  away 
To  tell  sad,  hopeless  brethren,  Christ  is  ris'n. 

Behold,  the  far-off  islands  of  the  seas. 

Half-waking  to  discern  their  direst  needs — 

The  far-off  heathen  giant  of  the  East 

Half  opes  his  eyes,  and  moveth  slight  his  frame ; 

But,  crippled  from  his  very  birth,  he  lies 

A  helpless  beggar  at  Bethesda's  Pool. 

Oh,  risen  Christ,  bid  us  but  touch  his  hand 

In  thy  great  name,  and  he  will  rise,  and  walk. 

And  leap  for  joy,  and  shout  thy  praise  aloud, 

Till  old  earth's  temples  shall  thy  praise  resound. 

Let  us  awake  and  rise ;  the  morning  breaks ; 

The  resurrection  voice  of  spring  is  harped 

From  every  tree,  and  flower,  and  blade  of  grass — 

From  every  rill  that  gushes  from  the  heart 

Of  Mother  Earth ;  from  every  warbling  bird ; 


Jubilee  Celebration  at  Otterbein  Church  159 

Let  us  awake  and  rise ;  the  century  calls ! 
The  resurrection  voice  of  Christ,  as  ne'er 
Before,  is  thrilling  all  the  Christian  world! 
Wide  open  swing  old,  rusty,  heathen  gates ; 
The  future,  full  of  promise,  becks  us  on ! 
A  new  hope  gilds  the  rosy  East ;  arise ! 
Let  us  enhance  the  glory  of  our  King, 
Winning  new  saints  to  his  rich  heritage ! 

Then  shall  the  King,  the  Lord  himself,  come  down 
To  claim  his  church — ^his  bride-elect  and  chaste — 
To  call  his  own  to  celebrate  that  feast — 
The  promised  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamh. 


THE  POWEK  AND  INFLUENCE  OF  A  SINGLE  LIFE. 
W.  J.  Shuey,  D.  D. 

I  ESTEEM  it  a  distinguished  honor  to  be  permitted  to  make  a 
brief  address  on  this  extraordinary  and  memorable  occasion. 
To  stand  beside  the  sleeping  dust  of  our  spiritual  progenitor  is 
itself  an  inspiration  sufficient  to  arouse  the  soul  of  every  person 
in  this  presence  to  the  most  holy  aspiration,  both  for  greater 
usefulness  in  this  life  and  a  final  meeting  with  the  good  and 
great  man  whose  memory  we  are  here  to  revere  and  honor. 

The  name  of  Otterbein,  at  the  end  of  a  century,  has  lost  noth- 
ing of  its  luster.  On  the  other  hand,  the  light  of  his  earth 
life  shines  more  and  more  as  the  ages  pass  by,  and  the  ever- 
multiplying  fruitage  of  that  life  appears.  We  are  not  here  to 
revere  Otterbein  dead;  but  Otterbein  living — living  in  his 
spirit  and  deeds  and  their  abundant  results.  We  are  here  to 
contemplate  the  influence  and  power  of  a  single  life  as  il- 
lustrated in  this  man's  histoi*y.  Born  of  godly  parents,  de^ 
prived  of  his  father  by  death  when  scarcely  more  than  a  child, 
he  was  reared  under  the  most  tender  solicitude  and  earnest 
prayers  of  a  pious  mother. 

A  faithful  and  thorough  student,  by  which  he  became  noted 
for  his  learning  and  soundness  of  judgment,  consecrated  in 
heart  and  life  to  the  service  of  God  from  his  very  youth,  he 
early  imbibed  a  burning  desire  to  serve  his  Master.  The  brief 
time  allotted  us  for  this  address  forbids  a  review  of  Otterbein's 
youth  and  preparation  for  his  life  work.  That  he  was  a  child 
of  Providence  seems  as  certain  as  earthly  indications  can  de- 
termine. 

He  who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning  and  maps  out  all 
his  purposes  for  the  future  knows  what  agencies  are  needed 
for  the  accomplishment  of  those  purposes. 

A  new  and  far  away  wilderness  was  being  peopled  and  many 
of  God's  children  from  the  old  world  were  seeking  their  fortunes 
there.     Wise  and  trained  men,  consecrated  to  unselfish  philan- 

160 


o  i* 


»1 


S    ? 

si 


0  •" 
o  -o 


Power  and  Influence  of  a  Single  Life  161 

thropy  and  Christian  leadership  were  needed  to  follow  these 
multitudes,  and  guide  them  into  righteous  ways.  Young  men 
of  vigorous  constitutions  and  sturdy  integrity  must  volunteer 
for  this  work. 

Prompted  by  an  exalted  missionary  impulse,  Otterbein  for- 
sook native  land  and  dearest  earthly  friends,  and  sought  his 
field  of  labor  in  far  off  America. 

Without  experience  as  a  missionary  and  pastor,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  feel  his  way,  and  by  personal  tests,  determine  the 
methods  best  adapted  to  accomplish  his  noble  aims;  namely, 
the  building  up  of  believers  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  Correct 
habits  of  life  and  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  theory  and  plan  of 
salvation  enabled  him  to  awaken  men  to  a  sense  of  their  sin- 
fulness and  need  of  regeneration,  and  a  witness  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  they  were  born  of  God.  That  same  Holy  Spirit 
awakened  him  to  a  sense  of  his  own  need  of  a  profounder  and 
deeper  spirituality  for  himself.  A  definite  Christian  ex- 
perience came  to  him  and  proved  the  very  climax  of  his  in- 
fluence and  power  over  men  as  a  winner  of  souls.  With  this 
new  baptism  as  a  soul-propelling  power  and  enthusiasm, 
wherever  he  journeyed  preaching  a  living  gospel,  he  stirred  his 
hearers  to  a  like  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness.  With- 
out a  conscious  purpose  on  his  own  part  to  do  so,  God  led 
him  in  various  ways  until  he  became  the  founder  of  a  de- 
nomination of  Christians,  distinguished  from  its  beginning 
for  its  insistence  upon  a  radical  conversion  of  the  soul  and  a 
holy  life. 

To  properly  estimate  the  measure  of  Otterbein's  influence 
for  good,  is  no  easy  task.  The  forces  of  his  character  and  teach- 
ings were  far-reaching,  and  all  pervading.  The  tangible  fruits 
of  his  life  must  come  to  our  aid  in  this  grasp.  In  the  found- 
ing of  an  ever-expanding  and  energetic  community  of  Chris- 
tian workers  lay  the  means  and  outcome  of  his  influence  and 
power.  While  these  abide  and  work,  Otterbein  will  live  and 
work. 

In  studying  the  character  and  work  of  this  godly  man,  we 
may  well  inquire,  Wlierein  did  his  strength  lie?  What  were 
11 


162  A  Century 

the  forceful  elements  which  lifted  him  like  a  towering  peak 
above  the  surrounding  plain  ?  We  have  time  to  emphasize  only 
a  few  of  those  elements. 

First.  He  was  a  man  of  trained  intellect,  able  to  think,  and 
grasp  the  truth  in  its  very  roots,  and  apply  it  to  its  most  ex- 
alted and  practical  purpose.  By  his  scholarship,  he  compre- 
hended the  framework  of  the  gospel,  and,  doing  so,  he  believed 
il,  and  went  forth  to  disseminate  it  among  men.  We  gather 
from  his  life,  as  written  by  our  own  historians,  and  corrobo- 
rated by  others,  that  Mr.  Otterbcin  was  a  profoundly  learned 
man,  commanding  the  highest  respect  of  learned  men.  As  an 
educated  man  clothed  with  divine  power,  he  stands  as  the  ex- 
ponent of  a  sanctified  education. 

Second.  Mr.  Otterbein  was  a  great  and  powerful  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  Especially  was  this  true  after  he  had  entered 
into  the  fullness  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  by  a  mighty  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  All  accounts  we  have  of  his  efforts  and  of 
their  results  at  the  "great  meetings,"  tend  to  prove  this  claim. 
He  expounded  the  Word  of  God  to  the  masses  with  great  clear- 
ness, and,  by  his  manner  of  presenting  it,  and  tender  sympathy 
for  the  sinner,  his  hearers  were  often  moved  to  tears  and  re- 
pentance. He  was  the  chief  among  his  brethren  as  a  preacher 
and  leader  in  the  bringing  of  men  to  God  and  a  new  life.  His 
preaching  was  direct  and  practical.  He  did  not  "sugar  coat" 
unwelcome  truth;  but  drove  the  arrows  of  the  gospel  quiver 
to  the  very  hearts  of  his  auditors. 

Third.  He  was  a  trained  leader  of  men.  He  framed  his 
own  creed  and  discipline,  which  creed  and  form  of  rules  be- 
came the  very  nucleus  of  our  present  fundamental  articles  of 
faith  and  essential  polity.  Everjrwhere  his  wisdom  in  such 
matters  was  acknowledged,  and  the  fact  that  Otterbein  was  the 
author  and  sanctioner  of  given  teachings  and  rules  of  order, 
was  sufficient  guarantee  of  their  wisdom  and  correctness.  He 
was  emphatically  the  founder  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ. 

The  "constitution"  of  the  congregation  beside  whose  walls 
we  stand  this  day,  provides  in  substance  these  fundamental  re- 


Power  and  Influence  of  a  Single  Life  163 

quirements :  "The  purity  of  the  ministry;  the  piety  of  mem- 
bers; the  necessity  of  attending  faithfully  on  the  means  of 
grace,  in  public  and  in  private;  the  propriety  of  class  and 
prayer-meetings;  the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath,  and  how  to 
spend  it;  the  doctrines  of  the  Church;  that  preachers  must 
harmonize  and  sustain  each  other  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  to 
the  best  of  their  ability.  These  points  enter  essentially  into 
the  rules  of  a  Christian  church,  and  upon  the  observance  of 
them  rests  the  usefulness  and  perpetuity  of  churches.  As  to 
the  age  of  the  Discipline  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren in  Christ,  it  is  of  little  importance,  whether  it  be  of  yester- 
day or  more  than  a  century  past ;  but  it  is  all-important  that  it 
be  of  the  right  character,  and  in  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  in- 
spired Word  of  God.  In  whatever  light  our  present  Discipline 
may  be  viewed,  and  however  favorably  adjudged  by  an  intelli- 
gent community,  we  find  its  original  germs  traceable  to  Philip 
William  Otterbein  as  early  as  1785." 

Fourth.  The  character  of  Otterbein  as  a  Christian.  From 
his  entrance  upon  his  work  in  Lancaster,  in  1752,  until  his  fall- 
ing asleep  in  Jesus  in  1813,  the  standard  of  ministerial  piety 
in  the  American  colonies  and  States  was  often  far  beneath  the 
dignity  becoming  the  sacred  office  of  a  religious  teacher.  It 
was  no  light  matter  that  a  missionary  and  reformer  should  be 
a  holy  and  living  epistle  of  God,  "known  and  read  by  all  men." 
It  is  said  of  Otterbein  that  "his  character  was  pure;  that  as 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  was  solemn  and  serious.  No  light- 
ness in  conversation  marked  his  conduct  in  society.  Digni- 
fied, yet  simple  as  a  child,  in  conversation  open  and  free, 
yet  no  one  could  approach  him  but  with  respect,  nor  converse 
with  him  without  feeling  a  sense  of  his  superior  intellect  and 
purity  of  heart."  Thus  equipped  in  mind  and  heart,  he  stood 
a  commanding  figure  before  God  and  men. 

Want  of  time  forbids  further  characterization  of  our  exalted 
subject.  The  oldest  historian  of  our  Church,  and  a  personal  ac- 
quaintance of  Otterbein,  thus  describes  his  end  (Spayth's  His- 
tory, page  136)  :  "We  shall  now  view  him  on  a  dying  bed.  His 
day  of  life  has  been  long  and  toilsome;  but  the  evening  came. 


164  A  Century 

and  with  it  calmness  and  tranquillity.  His  sun  was  about  to 
set  with  a  smile,  but  in  that  smile,  there  was  suffering  from  an 
asthmatic  affection,  which  had  affected  him  for  some  time,  and 
which  as  his  end  approached  became  the  more  distressing.  The 
fiiends  that  gathered  around  him  were  soon  assured  that  his 
end  had  come.  The  Rev.  Dr.  D.  Kurtz  offered  up  at  his  bed- 
side the  last  vocal  prayer,  at  the  close  of  which,  Otterbein  re- 
sponded in  these  words,  'Amen,  Amen';  it  is  finished. 
"Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according 
to  thy  word;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation" '  (Luke  2: 
29-30).  When  able  to  speak  once  more,  he  said:  'Jesus,  Jesus, 
I  die;  but  thou  livest,  and  soon  shall  I  live  with  thee.  The 
conflict  is  over  and  past.  I  begin  to  feel  an  unsi>eakable  full- 
ness of  love  and  peace  divine ;  lay  my  head  on  my  pillow,  and  be 
still,'  and  stillness  reigned  in  the  chamber  of  death.  The 
chariot  of  Israel  had  come  and  carried  his  great  soul  on  high." 

For  almost  a  hundred  years  his  body  has  slept  beneath  this 
slab  and  soil,  and  awaits  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

Once  more,  and  I  am  done.  Again,  what  are  the  results  of 
this  one  life?  Taking  the  average  membership  of  the  Church 
Otterbein  founded,  from  its  birth,  we  have  a  spiritual  population 
nearing  a  half  million  of  souls.  All  the  gifts  and  fruits  of 
this  vast  army  of  workers  are  the  outcome  of  this  single  life, 
and  the  ages  to  come,  only,  can  round  up  the  honor  and  glory 
of  this  influence  and  power. 

The  assembling  of  this  multitude  by  this  sepulcher,  gathered 
from  many  States  of  our  civil  Union,  stretching  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  and  from  lakes  to  gulf  should  have  only  one  over- 
shadowing purpose.  It  must  be  to  gather  fresh  life  and  en- 
thusiasm for  Christ  from  the  memory  and  example  of  Philip 
William  Otterbein. 

If  it  does  not  produce  this  effect,  our  coming  will  be  vain 
and  his  soul  will  cease  to  go  marching  on  in  its  exalted  mission 
among  men.  "He,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  Shall  our  ears 
be  too  dull  to  hear  his  voice  and  our  minds  too  obtuse  to  ap- 
prehend the  lessons  he  would  teach  us  ? 


Power  and  Influence  of  a  Single  Life  165 

I  believe,  I  almost  know,  that  every  devout  heart  here  present, 
joins  with  every  other  kindred  soul,  in  one  solid  invocation  to 
God  that  he,  the  mighty  One,  would  here  and  now  let  fall  upon 
this  host  of  pilgrims  the  very  fire  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  send  us  all  abroad,  over  land  and  sea,  to  achieve  mighty 
conquests  for  his  kingdom.  This  company  is  composed  of  much 
of  the  cream  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

The  fact  of  your  presence  proves  your  interest  in  Otterbein 
and  his  mission  to  men.  While  here,  let  us  seek  more  grace 
and  better  equipment  for  active  work  in  the  vineyard  of  our 
common  Lord  and  Master. 

"Let  brotherly  love  continue."  Nay,  more,  let  it  grow  to  an 
indissoluble  bond.  Let  all  unworthy  human  ambition  for  per- 
sonal and  selfish  ends  be  eliminated  from  all  minds  and  hearts. 
Let  unchristian  and  unmanly  church  politics  perish  here  by 
the  grace  of  our  immortal  spiritual  ancestor.  As  law-makers 
for  the  Church  of  Christ  and  office-bearers  in  the  kingdom  of 
God,  drive  from  mind  and  motive  all  unworthy  thoughts  and 
desires  for  preferment. 

Let  the  spirit  of  Otterbein  and  Boehm  and  all  the  worthy 
fathers  of  our  Church  fill  us  to  the  brim,  and  let  us  seek  only 
the  will  and  good  pleasure  of  our  common  Father.  Let  min- 
isters and  people  strive  day  and  night,  while  life  lasts,  to  carry 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  to  its  full  and  final  triumph.  Then 
shall  we  all  be  crowned  with  immortality  and  eternal  life. 


POINTS  TO  BE  EMPHASIZED  BY  THE  CHILDKEN  OF 
OTTEKBEIN. 

Kev.  H.  S.  Gabel. 

We  have  passed  througli  the  formative  and  testing  periods 
of  our  church  history,  which  have  been  full  of  revelations  and 
lessons.  Out  of  our  struggles  there  comes  the  assurance  for  a 
long  and  strong  future,  clearly  demonstrating  to  the  world  our 
right  to  exist  and  perpetuate  our  mission  among  men.  We  have 
reached  the  era  of  shrewd  and  keen-eyed  planning  for  future 
aggressiveness  and  enlargement.  That  this  be  done,  as  the 
children  of  Otterbein,  in  proving  worthy  of  our  noble  ancestry, 
we  should: 

1.  Exalt  the  influence  of  the  deeds  of  our  illustrious  founder. 
The  innate  instincts  for  increased  Christian  activity  are  stirred 
to  action  in  emulating  the  example  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  our 
sainted  and  honored  Otterbein,  who,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  was 
moved  to  shun  and  denounce  a  cold,  formal  church-life,  as  pre- 
sumptuous, and  who  emphasized  the  need  of  a  vital  union  with 
Christ  in  heart  and  life  as  essential  to  religious  growth  and 
power,  his  heart  burning  with  missionary  zeal  to  deliver  his 
heavenly  message,  impelling  him  to  encounter  derision  and  all 
manner  of  hardship,  not  for  any  personal  aggrandizement,  but 
solely  for  the  salvation  of  men.  This  made  him  invin- 
cible and  vouchsafed  unto  us  such  a  goodly  heritage  in  the 
grand  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  The  earthly 
immortality  of  Otterbein  is  inevitable  in  the  heart  of  this 
Church,  inasmuch  as  his  children  exalt  his  scholarly  and  spirit- 
ual life  by  championing  and  advancing  his  cause. 

2.  Perpetuate  the  spirit  and  faith  of  the  fathers.  The  spirit 
of  our  denominational  church  can  only  be  continued  through 
the  covenant  of  heredity,  to  preserve  it  a  family  in  likeness  and 
identity.  Therefore,  in  conferences,  conventions,  and  in  the 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  in  the  Seminary, 


Iannis  to  be  Emphasized  167 

and  colleges,  should  there  be  conserved  such  devotion  and  loy- 
alty to  the  faith  and  principles  of  the  fathers,  as  to  plainly 
bear  the  stamp  of  their  spirit.  A  departure  from  this  would 
be  a  desertion  from  our  divinely  appointed  field.  Fidelity  to 
our  special,  yet  broad  mission,  will  be  a  strong  safe-guard 
against  any  threatened  ritualistic  tendencies,  and  enable  us  to 
contribute  to  the  future,  as  they  did  in  the  past,  for  the  power, 
honor,  and  glory  of  the  Church. 

3.  Positive  and  spiritual  preaching.  With  our  greater  ad- 
vantages, multiplied  opportunities  and  increased  responsibil- 
ities, there  never  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  church  when 
such  an  imperative  demand  for  spiritual  power  and  equipment 
for  service  was  felt  as  now.  There  is  a  growing  need  for  our 
pulpits  to  discard  feeble  negations  and  proclaim  strong,  posi- 
tive truths,  with  the  power  of  propelling  conviction.  The  char- 
acter of  the  ministry  will  determine  the  character  of  the 
Church.  A  spiritual  ministry  will  produce  a  spiritual  church. 
Asserting  the  demands  of  a  cultured  ministry,  it  is  nevertheless 
true,  that  there  exists  a  deeper  need  for  a  stronger  spiritual  life. 

4.  Needs  of  weak  and  promising  fields.  The  false  notion 
that  an  educated  ministry  is  but  for  the  influential  and  well- 
established  charges  must  not  be  encouraged.  There  are  many 
weak  and  promising  fields  that  can  only  be  developed  to  their 
highest  possibilities  by  the  help  of  efficient  and  consecrated  pas- 
tors. Notwithstanding  the  claims  of  supply  and  demand,  the 
commercial  idea  as  a  factor  in  the  administration  of  the 
itinerancy,  dare  not  be  countenanced  in  frustrating  the  Lord's 
plans. 

5.  Revivals  and  heart  culture.  Having  been  born  in  a  re- 
vival of  religion,  the  only  successful  course  for  the  United 
Brethren  Church  in  projecting  her  mission,  is  by  the  methods 
of  revivals  and  evangelistic  operations.  Such  efforts  are  the 
only  hope  for  the  salvation  of  many  souls,  for  which  we  must 
own  our  responsibility.  Associated  with  this  work  is  the  need 
of  heart  culture  by  systematic  and  thorough  Bible  study.  Our 
converts  must  be  taught  to  be  Bible  Christians.  The  spirit  of 
this  age  must  be  met  by  heads  clear  and  well-informed,  and 


168  A  Century 

by  hearts  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  Christianity  of 
demonstration  and  emotion  may  be  well,  but  no  religion  can 
have  power  and  endure  that  has  not  for  its  basis  an  intelligent 
Biblical  faith. 

6.  Claims  of  the  general  interests.  The  high  standard  of 
excellence  of  the  general  interests,  makes  a  righteous  claim  for 
them  to  be  more  popularized.  That  they  may  gather  strength 
for  greater  achievement,  there  should  be  infused  broader  im- 
pulses and  a  holier  ambition  in  the  thought  of  our  people 
throughout  the  Church  for  these  promulgating  and  indispen- 
sable agencies. 

7.  Christian  beneficence.  A  stronger  conscience  of  be- 
nevolence ought  to  obtain.  There  are  many  whose  horizon,^ 
mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  is  the  rim  of  the  little  valley  in 
which  they  live,  who  are  self-centered,  welcome  no  new  idea, 
demur  to  new  measures  as  innovations,  declaim  against  for- 
eign missions,  and,  as  a  result,  become  selfish  and  unsympa- 
thetic in  their  natures  and  narrow  in  their  views.  Instruction 
on  the  ethics  of  Christian  giving  is  urgent,  to  stimulate  a  more 
generous  habit  in  enhancing  the  interests  of  the  Church.  Such 
a  course  of  education  will  broaden  the  views  and 
hearts  of  the  membership  upon  the  stern  necessities  of  many 
faithful  pastors  and  the  burdened  condition  of  the  missionary 
and  educational  boards. 

8.  Strength  of  family  piety.  There  should  be  emphasized 
the  importance  of  domestic  piety,  family  worship,  child  con- 
version, and  pastoral  care  for  the  young.  Parents  who  neglect 
the  spiritual  interests  of  their  children  betray  their  highest 
trust  and  neglect  their  greatest  opportunities.  Much  of  our 
influence  depends  upon  the  character  of  family  government  as 
administered  by  our  people.  The  astmosphere  of  the  United 
Brethren  home  is  a  true  barometer  of  our  religious  power  as 
a  denomination. 

9.  Our  deserving  hoys.  The  history  of  the  Church  will 
doubtless  be  repeated,  in  that,  out  of  the  loins  of  her  poor,  will 
come  the  leaders  of  her  future,  and  the  men  of  the  hour  and 
for  the  occasion.     There  is  greatness  slumbering  in  some  of  our 


Points  to  be  Emphasized  169 

worthy  poor  boys,  which  only  needs  opportunity  to  be  awakened. 
Out  of  these  ranks  may  spring  another  Otterbein  and  another 
Weaver.  Under  existing  conditions,  it  is  almost  impossible 
for  them  to  acquire  an  education  such  as  is  required  in  this  age. 
There  are  men  of  wealth  within  our  reach  who  are  disposed  to 
make  liberal  donations  for  the  help  of  such  boys,  if  proper  and 
specific  measures  are  instituted  by  some  of  our  schools.  A 
want  of  interest  and  vigilance  for  this  inviting  and  prolific 
field  may  cost  us  irreparable  losses.  The  rightful  opportuni- 
ties for  our  industrious  and  deserving  boys  should  be  in  the 
institutions  and  on  the  works  within  the  denomination. 

10.  Orphanage  needed.  There  is  a  dependent  class  whose 
helpless  condition,  in  deep  silence,  makes  a  plaintive  appeal  to 
the  honor  as  well  as  to  the  sympathy  of  the  Church.  Because 
they  cannot  speak  for  themselves,  seems  to  be  the  reason  why 
the  Church  hitherto  has  been  so  derelict  in  its  duty  to- 
ward them.  Dare  we  longer  forbear  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  our  many  defenceless  orphans,  and  afford  them  a 
comfortable.  Christian  home,  with  the  privileges  of  an  edu- 
cation? This  is  too  important  and  needy  a  department  to  be 
o-verlooked  by  the  alert  of  this  age.  In  leaving  these  children 
to  the  merciless  world,  with  its  awful  dangers  and  alarming 
contingencies,  we  will  continue  to  forsake  those  who  especially 
need  our  protecting  care.  May  the  Church  supply  this 
need  by  inaugurating  an  immediate  movement  for  the 
relief  and  assistance  of  her  orphan  children. 

11.  Moral  reforms.  True  to  our  identity,  as  well  as  our 
history,  we  must  stand  at  the  front  in  the  great  moral  battles  of 
our  nation.  We  dare  not  be  silent  when  patriotism  and  duty 
call  us  to  cry  out  against  the  destructive  sins  of  the  land.  We 
must  teach  that  the  love  for  Jesus  and  the  love  for  country  are 
inseparable.  In  the  moral  conflicts  waged  in  our  country  we 
must  emphasize  the  duty  of  Christian  citizenship,  to  abolish 
the  liquor  traffic,  advance  social  purity,  create  peace  and  con- 
fidence between  labor  and  capital,  and  for  the  supression  of 
many  public  evils  that  are  fostered  in  our  land.  If  we  shall  con- 
serve the  liberties  of  the  nation,  it  will  be  by  the  faithful  dis- 


170  A  Century 

charge  of  our  stewardship.     If  the  Spirit  of  God  is  not  injected 
into  the  body  politic,  it  will  perish. 

12.  Hopeful  outlook.  Beloved  children  of  Otterbein,  there 
are  great  hopes  for  this  church  which  our  sainted  fathers  es- 
tablished and  labored  so  heroically  to  perpetuate,  but  in  order 
that  these  may  be  realized  the  same  unselfish  spirit  and  con- 
quering faith  that  actuated  their  deeds  must  be  maintained 
and  energize  an  entire  denominational  organism.  The  church 
which  persecutors,  obstructionists,  and  an  ecclesiastical  war 
could  not  wreck,  a  devitalized  gospel  and  a  time-serving  spirit 
can  bring  to  disaster.  This  being  so,  let  us  serve  our  dear 
Zion  by  keeping  it  in  loyal  allegiance  with  the  Kings  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords. 

13.  Devotion.  How  highly  fitting  on  this  eventful  and 
tender  occasion,  within  these  sacred  and  historic  walls,  after  a 
United  Brethren  century,  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  that  we  place  as  a  monument,  not 
a  cold,  marble  shaft  in  honor  of  our  immortalized  father,  but 
a  holy,  aggressive  and  patriotic  church,  breathing  his  spirit. 
The  flowers  of  pure  and  beautiful  lives  are  the  flowers  with 
which  to  decorate  Otterbein's  grave. 


OUR  YOUNG  PEOPLE  IN  THE  NEW  CENTURY. 
J.  P.  LAJiDis,  D.D. 

Children  to-day,  adults  to-morrow,  old  men  and  women  next 
day.  In  the  school  of  training  for  service  to-day,  to-morrow 
the  leaders  and  workers  of  the  Church— the  bishops,  editors, 
secretaries,  presidents  of  colleges,  professors,  presiding  elders' 
pastors,  class-leaders.  Apprentices,  clerks,  hired  hands  to-day,* 
to-morrow  the  laymen  of  influence  and  wealth.  To-day  earn- 
ing pennies  and  nickels,  to-morrow  the  owners  and  operators 
of  farms,  stores,  factories,  and  banks.  To-day  in  school,  next 
day  founders  of  schools,  endowing  colleges,  professorships, 
scholarships.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the  children 
and  young  people  will  very  soon  stand  where  you  now  stand, 
who  have  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day;  they  will  oc- 
cupy the  places  which  you  now  occupy,  and  which  your  prede- 
cessors passed  to  you  but  just  yesterday. 

Is  it  not  a  matter  for  which  you  may  be  profoundly  grateful 
that  an  army  is  in  training— it  may  be,  in  many  instances, 
imperfectly,  but  yet  in  some  sense  in  training,— to  take  up  the 
work  which  you  must  inevitably  soon  lay  down  ?  Many  of  you 
have  labored  long  and  hard;  you  have  suffered  self-denial  and 
sacrifice;  you  bear  the  scars  of  the  conflict.  Soon  you  will  say 
with  him  around  whose  ashes  we  are  assembled,  "The  conflict  is 
over  and  passed,"  but  if  you  are  Christians  and  loyal  United 
Brethren  in  Christ,  the  deepest  longing  of  your  hearts  as  to 
this  world  is  that  the  cause  for  which  you  have  fought,  the  bat- 
tle in  which  you  have  received  your  scars,  and  in  which  you 
fall  shall  be  carried  to  triumphant  issue;  that  those  are  in 
training  who  shall  bravely  snatch  up  the  banner  as  it  falls  from 
your  hands,  and  close  up  the  ranks  as  the  veterans  sink  to 
earth. 

It  were  idle  to  occupy  your  time  in  the  indulgence  of  rhetor- 
ical or  poetic  fancy  in  seeking  to  depict  the  future,  but  it  is 

171 


172  A  Century 

not  a  mere  play  of  fancy  to  take  into  our  thoughts  the  forces 
operating  under  our  eyes,  which,  if  more  complicated,  are  yet 
as  certain  as  to  their  ends  as  are  the  natural  forces  operating 
in  the  physical  world.  With  Patrick  Henry,  we  may  judge  of 
the  future  from  the  past.  We  may  make  calculations  as  to  re- 
sults from  the  forces  and  tendencies  which  we  see  at  work, 
for  "tendencies,"  as  one  says,  "are  prophetic."  Carlyle  says, 
"The  centuries  are  all  lineal  children  one  of  another." 

With  what  an  inheritance  do  our  yoiuig  people  start  out! 
Never  were  times  so  auspicious  or  hopes  so  bright,  or  oppor- 
tunities so  great  or  numerous,  or  prospects  so  inspiring  as  now.. 
The  material,  industrial,  intellectual,  and  spiritual  accumula- 
tions of  all  the  past  six  thousand  years  are  theirs.  They  enter 
the  twentieth  century,  moreover,  with  the  accelerated  momen- 
tum engendered  during  the  marvelous  century  which  has  just 
closed. 

This  great  inheritance  which  has  fallen  to  the  young  people 
of  the  twentieth  century,  consisting  of  material  wealth,  ma- 
chinery, commerce,  literature,  education,  schools,  colleges,  and 
other  forces,  is  to  he  used  in  building  up  the  kingdom  of  God 
— for  perfecting  our  Christian  civilization.  God  generally 
works  through  instrumentalities.  Man  can  work  alone  through 
instrumentalities.  To  a  greater  or  less  extent,  according  to 
their  relative  adaptability,  the  same  forces  employed  in  our 
commercial  and  other  material  operations  are  employed  in  the 
moral,  or  spiritual  sphere.  Steam  power,  electric  power,  light, 
heat,  chemical  affinity  are  used,  and  will  be  more  and  more 
used  in  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  realms.  It  is  true  that 
intellectual  and  spiritual  forces  cannot  be  expressed  in  the 
formulae  of  physics  or  chemistry.  We  cannot  say  that  so  many 
steam  pounds  or  steam  tons  have  been  transmuted  into  so 
much  thought  or  intelligence,  or  that  so  many  volts  of  elec- 
tricity have  been  transformed  into  so  much  righteousness  or 
charity  or  faith,  but  these  agencies  are  made  the  instruments 
for  the  operations  of  intelligence,  thought,  charity,  faith,  right- 
eousness. 


Our  Young  People  in  the  New  Century  173 

The  world  was  created  for  moral,  or  spiritual  ends.  As  in 
man  the  physical  being,  including  his  material  structure  and 
the  various  mechanical,  chemical,  and  vital  forces  and  opera- 
tions, is  but  the  hasis  for  the  intellectual  and  moral  elements 
of  his  nature,  and  created  to  serve  them  and  to  be  their  instru- 
ments, so  in  the  world  at  large  all  that  is  helow  the  intellectual 
and  moral  and  spiritual  is  intended  to  be  their  servants,  their 
•  instruments  of  operation.  Some  people  seem  to  think  nothing 
belongs  to  God  or  the  kingdom  of  God  except  what  can  be  ex- 
pressed in  the  terms  of  a  theological  creed  or  at  least  in  ethical 
and  religious  formulsB.  But  God's  "kingdom  is  over  all,"  and 
all  things  are  subservient  to  that  kingdom,  and  to  be  con- 
sciously employed  by  the  Christian  for  upbuilding  and  final 
universal  recognition  of  that  kingdom.  No  civilization,  even 
if  it  call  itself  Christian,  which  has  regard  only  to  material 
€nds,  will,  or  can  long  endure.  Witness  the  civilizations  of 
past  history.  The  things  that  are  unseen,  spiritual,  are  the 
things  that  endure.  While  God  transcends  nature  he  is  also 
immanent  in  nature,  as  he  is  immanent  in  humanity,  and  he 
uses  the  powers  and  operations  of  the  one  and  of  the  other  to 
bring  about  his  ultimate  ends  in  the  creation  of  the  world  and 
of  man. 

As  wealth  is  an  enormous  power  in  every  other  department 
of  human  activity,  so  is  it  in  the  work  of  the  church.  In  re- 
spect to  this  element  of  power,  those  upon  whom  will  soon  de- 
volve the  interests  of  the  Church  start  out  with  an  iromense 
advantage,  first,  on  account  of  its  present  great  quantity;  sec- 
ond, its  continuous  rapid  increase ;  and,  third,  the  rapidly  grow- 
ing sentiment  as  to  the  duty  and  privileges  in  the  uses  of 
wealth  for  God's  cause.  According  to  William  E.  Gladstone's 
estimate,  "all  the  wealth  which  could  be  handed  down  to  pos- 
terity produced  the  first  eighteen  hundred  years  of  the  Chris- 
tian era  was  equalled  by  the  production  of  the  first  fifty  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  that  as  much  more  was  produced 
between  1850  and  1870."  According  to  trustworthy  statistics, 
during  the  thirty  years  from  1860  to  1890,  we  in  this  country 
created  and  accumulated  forty-nine  thousand  millions  of  dol- 


174  A  Century 

lars.  Our  wealth  for  some  time  past  has  been  increasing  at 
the  rate  of  $7,000,000  per  day.  This,  it  is  true,  is  not  all  con- 
trolled by  Christians,  but  Kobert  E.  Speer  estimated  in  1898, 
three  years  ago,  that  "the  share  of  Christians  in  the  wealth  of 
America  was  $20,000,000,000."  But  even  the  wealth  of  the  un- 
godly and  profane  is  made  in  a  thousand  ways  to  contribute  to 
the  operations  of  Christianity.  In  connection  with  this  vast 
accumulation  and  rapid  increase  of  wealth,  consider  that, 
through  the  Young  People's  societies,  the  missionary  associa- 
tions, the  pulpits  of  our  own  and  other  lands,  and  the  religious 
press,  the  sentiment  is  being  proclaimed  as  from  the  house-tops, 
and  is  meeting  with  widespread  adoption,  that  men  are  but 
stewards  of  God,  and  that  they  must  pay  systematically  a  pro- 
portionate part  of  their  wealth  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord, 
and  we  see  in  the  hands  of  those  who  succeed  us  a  power  almost 
inestimable  for  the  accomplishment  of  spiritual  ends.  Even 
men  who  have  been  conspicuous  only  for  their  ability  to  ac- 
cumulate money  are  adding  the  weight  of  their  words  and  ex- 
ample to  the  higher  and  worthier  uses  of  money.  Instance  the 
words  of  the  multi-millionaire,  Andrew  Carnegie,  "I  have  often 
said  that  the  day  is  coming,  and  already  we  see  it  dawn,  in 
which  the  man  who  dies  possessed  of  millions  of  available 
wealth,  which  was  free  in  his  hands  ready  to  be  distributed,  dies 
disgraced."  Is  it,  therefore,  a  foolish  or  fanciful  prediction 
that  the  young  people  now  in  training,  and  their  successors  in 
the  new  century,  will  employ  this  gigantic  power  for  "the  glory 
of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men"  ? 

As  in  the  industrial  world  the  powers  of  production  and  of 
work  have  been  immensely  multiplied  through  inventions  ap- 
propriating and  employing  the  forces  of  nature,  so  they  have 
immensely  increased  the  possibilities  of  the  church.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  "in  the  United  States,  Great  Britain,  Germany, 
and  France,  there  is  steam  power  at  work  equal  to  the  strength 
of  551,000,000  able-bodied  men.  Machinery  is  employed  every- 
where in  the  application  of  power  from  twenty  to  a  hundred 
times  as  effective  as  when  applied  by  hand."  True,  men  are  not 
to  be  regenerated  or  justified  or  sanctified  by  the  application  of 


Our   Young  People  In  the  New  Century  175 

machinery  operated  by  steam  or  electricity,  but  the  forces  of 
steam,  electricity,  magnetism,  chemical  affinity,  and  others  are 
employed  now,  and  will  be  more  and  more  employed  in  multi- 
tudinous ways  in  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the  church.    In 
this  respect  the  church  workers  of  the  new  century  have  im- 
mensely the  advantage  over  those  working  in  the  days  of  Otter- 
bein.    When  Otterbein  came  to  America,  for  instance,  the  voy- 
age from  Holland  occupied  almost  four  months;  now  our  pala- 
tial steamships  make  the  distance  in  six  or  seven  days.     In 
1793,  it  took  the  great  missionary,  Carey,  five  months  to  go 
from  Dover  to  Calcutta.    Now  the  trip  is  made  in  three  weeks. 
Judson,  in  1812,  was  eleven  months  in  going  from  Salem  to 
Calcutta,  now  scarcely  a  month  is  required.     The  telegraph 
and  ocean  cable  are  constantly  used  by  the  church  and  mis- 
sionary societies.     There  are  in  operation  more  than  170,000 
miles  of  submarine  cable  lines,  and  they  are  constantly  multi- 
plying.   The  continents  of  Asia  and  Africa,  like  the  continents 
of  Europe  and  America,  will  soon  be  covered  with  a  complete 
network  of  telegraphs.     There  are  in  the  world  466,000  miles 
of  railroads.    These,  too,  are  at  the  service  of  the  church.  Fifty 
years  ago,  it  required  six  months  of  laborious  travel  to  go  from 
Baltimore  to  San  Francisco ;  now  the  distance  is  traversed  in 
about  four  and  a  half  days.    Bishops,  presiding  elders,  pastors, 
and  other  Christian  workers  are  incessantly  using  the  railroads 
and  electric  lines  in  reaching  conferences  and  appointments. 
Telegraphs,  telephones,  ocean  cables,  photography,  and  many, 
if  not  almost  all,  the  industrial  inventions  are  in  one  way  and 
another  serviceable  in  the  work  of  the  church.    The  whole  world 
is  now  made  easily  and  quickly  accessible  by  our  marvelous 
means  of  travel,  and  almost  daily  communications  can  be  had, 
and  are  had  with  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth.     Men  are 
nearer  one  another  spacially;  this  brings  them  nearer  intel- 
lectually, politically,  socially,  and  religiously.     This  nearness 
begets  neighborliness.    The  nations  know  one  another  better— 
their  wants,  needs,  habits,  their  religious  views,  feelings,  and 
necessities.    A  disaster  happens  in  Calcutta  to-day;  to-morrow, 
in  our  generous  country,  money  and  provisions  are  accumulat- 


176  A  Century 

ing  in  a  thousand  places  to  start  the  next  day  on  a  swift  voyage 
to  the  relief  of  the  sufferers.  All  these  appliances  are  rapidly 
increasing,  which  is  only  putting  into  the  hands  of  our  succes- 
sors increased  facilities  for  reaching  the  world,  evangelizing 
the  world,  converting  the  world. 

Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the  schools  and  colleges. 
Think  what  our  free  schools  are  doing  in  America,  as  compared 
with  fifty  years  ago.  Reflect  upon  the  improved  methods  of 
instruction.  Schools  are  becoming  more  efficient;  books  and 
libraries  are  multiplying.  Natural  science  is  revolutionizing 
the  thought,  the  business,  the  education,  the  religions ;  we  might 
even  say,  in  some  measure,  the  true  religion  of  the  world.  Our 
conceptions  of  the  greatness  or  immensity  of  God,  his  power, 
his  wisdom,  his  creative  skill  and  energy,  his  beneficence,  are 
incalculably  enhanced  by  the  revelations  of  natural  science. 
It  is  also  clearing  away  the  superstitions  of  the  nations,  and 
is  helping  to  make  religion  a  more  rational  thing  to  the  minds 
of  men.  Sociology  is  opening  up  to  the  intelligent  observation 
and  understanding  of  students  the  hitherto  unknown  and  un- 
suspected laws  that  govern  society  and  social  operations.  These 
sciences  are  yet  in  their  childhood,  and  are  destined  to  be  a 
strong  handmaid  to  religion  in  the  generations  ahead  of  us. 
There  are  in  our  schools  and  400  colleges  in  this  land  about 
17,000,000  pupils  and  students.  The  people  are  becoming  more 
intelligent,  better  educated.  Knowledge  is  power.  Culture  is 
power.  Greater  than  the  power  of  the  locomotive  or  the  gi- 
gantic ocean  steamer  engine;  greater  than  the  forces  of  the 
thundering  Niagara  or  the  roaring  cyclone  or  the  belching  vol- 
cano, is  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  power  locked  up  in  every 
rational  brain  and  heart.  These  trained,  school-  and  college- 
trained,  heads  and  hearts,  are  to  have  the  work  of  the  church 
in  a  few  years. 

Our  young  people  enter  the  twentieth  century  with  a  truer 
theoretical  and  a  more  practical  idea  of  the  brotherhood  of 
man,  a  better  knowledge  of  men  in  all  lands,  and  a  deeper,  more 
brotherly  sympathy  for  them.  How  marvelously  and  unex- 
pectedly God  is  using  the  commerce  of  the  Christian  nations  of 


IS 

£  o 


-  o 


Ou7'   Young  People  in  the  New  Century  177 

America  and  Europe,  their  diplomacy,  their  arms,  and  even 
their  greed,  as  well  as  their  philanthropy,  as  in  our  war  with 
Spain,  to  open  and  make  easily  accessible,  not  only  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  but  every  nook  and  corner  of  it,  to  the  Student  Vol- 
unteers, 6,000  of  them,  and  others,  anxious  to  march  out  under 
the  Christian  banner,  willing  to  suffer  and  die  if  only  the  for- 
tresses of  superstition  and  idolatry  and  agnosticism  can  be 
stormed  and  captured  for  Christ.  The  spirit  of  him  whose 
dust  lies  here  was  reproduced  and  carried  to  its  greatest  devo- 
tion in  the  heroic  sacrifice  of  our  Wests,  Gomers,  the  Cains, 
Frankie  Williams,  the  McGrews,  and  others  of  hallowed  mem- 
ory, whose  forms  lie  moldering  in  distant  Africa.  These  are  but 
an  earnest  of  the  hosts  who  are  preparing  for  the  conflict.  The 
inspiring  battle-cry  of  "the  evangelization  of  the  world  in  the 
present  generation"  is  stirring  the  hearts  of  multiplied  thou- 
sands, and  its  reverberations  are  already  heard  around  the  belt 
of  the  globe.  "The  organized  Christian  movements  among  stu- 
dents," says  John  E.  Mott,  "constitute  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  potent  forces  in  the  church.  There  are  now  fourteen 
national  and  international  student  organizations,  of  1,400  sep- 
arate Christian  associations,  and  a  total  membership  of  about 
80,000  students  and  professors."  These  are  organized  into  a 
World's  Federation.  They  originated  but  yesterday,  but  they 
are  daily  multiplying  and  acquiring  more  momentum.  Already 
the  churches  of  every  continent  have  felt  the  thrill  of  their  en- 
thusiasm. What  will  they  yet  be  in  the  hands  of  those  just 
beginning  their  work  with  the  beginning  of  the  new  century? 
Add  to  these  the  Christian  Endeavor  societies,  Epworth 
Leagues,  Brotherhood  of  Andrew  and  Philip,  the  Baptist  Un- 
ions, Luther  Leagues,  Young  People's  Christian  Unions,  al- 
ready numbering  upward  of  6,000,000,  a  swelling  host,  organ- 
ized and  organizing,  training  and  drilling,  multitudes  and  mul- 
titudes of  whose  hearts  will  flame  with  love  to  Christ  and  for 
the  lost;  whose  lips  will  be  touched,  as  were  Isaiah's,  with  a 
live  coal  from  off  the  altar,  who,  when  the  call  is  made, 
will  respond  in  a  thundering  chorus,  "Here  am  I;  send  me." 

12 


178  A  Century 

O  brethren,  what  may  we  not  safely  predict  of  spiritual  power 
and  rapid  and  widespread  conquest  for  our  Lord  ? 

In  the  nineteenth  century,  the  Christian  population  leaped 
from  200,000,000  to  477,000,000.  Who  will  venture  to  prescribe 
limits  to  the  possibilities  of  the  twentieth  century  upon  which 
our  young  Christian  heroes  are  now  entering  ? 


AT  THE  TOMB  OF  OTTEKBEIN. 

An  immense  gathering  witnessed  the  beautiful  and  impress- 
ive consecration  service  conducted  by  the  Bishops  at  the  grave 
where  sleeps  the  dust  of  the  sainted  Otterbein.  To  witness  that 
scene  was  the  privilege  of  a  lifetime.  Bishop  Castle  presided, 
and  Bishop  Kephart  made  the  following  address: 

"At  the  grave  of  a  great  and  good  man  is  not  the  place  for 
an  individual,  either  in  speech  or  in  prayer,  to  attempt  elo- 
quence. We  are  not  here  as  hero  worshipers,  not  here  to  wor- 
ship men,  but  to  recognize  the  life  lived  by  a  great  and  a  good 
man,  and  to  recognize,  also,  in  a  special  sense,  the  Christ 
whom  he  recognized  and  whose  life  in  him  made  this  great  and 
good  man  what  he  was.  We  are  not  to  hold  him  up  as  the 
model,  but  we  are  to  recognize  as  our  model  the  life  of  the 
faultless  man,  Jesus,  whom  our  worthy  ancestor  sought  to  imi- 
tate, and  whose  life,  in  a  sense,  was  simply  the  unfolding  of 
the  Christ  life  as  it  may  be  developed  among  men. 

"As  we  stand  by  his  tomb  to-day,  in  the  name  of  the  Christ 
whom  he  adored,  let  us  plight  our  faith  anew  to  God,  and  then, 
in  that  good  time,  when  the  trump  of  God  will  pour  forth  its 
omnific  blast  into  the  trembling  universe,  and  death's  wide 
empire  quakes  from  its  pole  center  to  its  frigid  circumference, 
and  the  dead  will  come  forth,  we,  with  him,  in  the  presence 
of  the  King  eternal,  shall  hear  his  voice,  ^Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father.' " 

"Rock  of  Ages"  was  then  sung  by  the  great  multitude  of 
voices  in  a  grand,  inspiring  chorus,  which  thrilled  all  hearts, 
after  which  Bishop  Mills  read  Psalms  122  and  123.  Bishop 
Hott  offered  the  following  prayer: 

"Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  thou  holy  God,  we 
wait  in  this  presence  at  the  close  of  these  services  of  celebration 
and  ask  thine  infinite  and  precious  blessing  to  fall  upon  and 
abide  with  us  all ;  with  the  memories  of  the  lives  of  those  whom 
thou  hast  chosen  gathered  fresh  into  our  thought.     This  day, 

179 


180  A  Century 

by  this  hallowed  grave,  we  invoke  upon  the  church  of  thy  love 
the  spirit  of  consecration  and  holy  covenant  to  the  service  of 
mankind,  to  the  uplifting  of  our  fallen  race,  to  the  extension 
of  the  kingdom  of  thy  Son,  our  Saviour,  to  the  carrying  for- 
ward of  the  purposes  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"And  now,  Eather,  we  pray  that  our  mothers  all  through  our 
broad  land,  and  in  the  lands  beyond  the  sea,  in  the  years  that 
are  to  come,  may  be  enabled  to  give  their  sons  and  daughters 
to  thy  service,  as  she  gave  him  by  whose  tomb  we  gather  this 
holy  hour.  We  pray  that  our  sons  in  all  the  years  that  thou 
shalt  give  to  this  Church  shall  be  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  our 
loving  Lord  to  give  their  services  to  the  Man,  to  the  Christ  of 
Galilee,  as  he  gave  his  life  and  services  to  that  Christ,  he  by 
whose  tomb  we  are  assembled  in  dedication  this  day. 

"And  now.  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  would  gather 
up  all  the  holy  memories  of  our  lives;  we  would  gather  up  all 
the  divine  purposes  of  our  hearts;  we  would  gather  up  all  the 
ransomed  powers  of  our  nation  and  of  our  own  nature  and  of 
our  Church,  and  we  would  offer  them  to  thee  in  this  loving 
and  humble  prayer. 

"O  God,  our  Father,  God  of  the  living,  do  thou  accept  the 
consecration  that  we  would  make  this  day,  for  ourselves  and 
for  our  little  ones,  and  may  the  kingdom  of  God  the  Father, 
and  of  God  the  Son,  and  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit  come  and 
abide  with  us  until  we  shall  be  gathered  into  the  kingdom  of 
our  God  in  the  fullness  of  glory,  where  thou  dost  preside  with- 
out sin  and  above  the  clouds  of  night  and  sorrow.  We  ask  it 
in  Jesus  Christ,  our  infinite  Redeemer,  to  whom  be  the  glory 
and  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and  forever.    Amen." 

After  the  singing  of  the  doxology  in  a  grand  chorus  which 
seemed  to  reach  to  the  very  throne  of  God  and  bring  heaven 
down  to  earth  in  a  mighty  Pentecost  of  blessing,  Rev.  G.  Fritz, 
of  the  Ohio  German  Conference,  pronounced  the  following 
benediction  in  German:  "And  now  may  the  love  of  God  the 
Father  and  the  covenant  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  com- 
munion and  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit  abide  with  you  all 
evermore.    Amen." 


At  the  Tomb  of  Otterbein  181 

Thus  closed  one  of  the  greatest  celebrations  in  the  history 
of  the  denomination.  While  there  was  no  disposition  to  in- 
dulge in  hero  worship,  there  was  given,  however,  the  tribute 
which  old  age  delights  to  pay  to  the  memory  of  those  who  laid 
wise,  broad,  and  secure  the  foundation  of  our  Zion,  as  well 
as  the  grateful  reverence  which  pious  youth  always  offers  to 
those  who  have  wrought  faithfully  and  well  in  the  toils  and 
struggles  of  the  past.  This  was  touchingly  exemplified  at  the 
jubilee  service,  when  a  great-granddaughter  of  Peter  Kemp, 
in  whose  house  the  immortal  Otterbein  preached  a  hundred 
years  ago,  brought  a  large  bunch  of  fragrant  flowers  from  the 
Kemp  home  and  laid  them  on  the  beautiful  marble  slab  which 
marks  the  grave  of  Otterbein,  an  act  typical  of  the  honor  which 
youth  would  pay  to  the  sainted  father  of  our  beloved  Zion. 

Surely  the  celebration  was  a  great  event  in  the  history  of  our 
Church,  and  will  doubtless  help  the  children  of  Otterbein  to 
preserve  and  cherish  the  spirit  of  their  sainted  father  and  noble 
leader. 

With  new  inspiration,  hope,  courage,  and  faith  in  its  fu- 
ture achievements  and  progress,  the  Church  of  the  sec- 
ond century,  retaining  all  the  essential,  vital,  distinctive  ele- 
ments of  our  denominational  life,  will  go  forward,  alongside  of 
other  sister  denominations,  to  do  the  will  of  God  in  upbuild- 
ing the  kingdom  of  righteousness  among  men,  and  in  carrying 
the  Word  of  Life  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  The 
children  of  Otterbein  will  best  pay  their  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
past  by  making  the  future  resplendent  with  moral  and  spiritual 
victories,  in  meeting  every  human  need,  and  in  solving  the 
problems  of  social  and  religious  thought  and  life  which  press 
upon  the  attention  of  the  church  of  Christ,  The  faithful  dis- 
charge of  this  grave  responsibility  and  duty  will  bring  their 
highest  honor  and  richest  reward. 


PART  VI 


THE  BISHOPS'  QUADRENNIAL  ADDRESS. 


To  the  Twenty-Third  General  Conference  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren in  Christ. 

REVIEW  OF  THE  PAST. 

As  WE  stand  at  the  close  of  one  and  the  beginning  of  another 
era,  we  may  well  review  the  past  and  learn  its  lessons  of  wis- 
dom, of  warning,  of  hope.  The  past  century  is  one  of  un- 
paralleled progress. 

1.  During  the  nineteenth  century  the  human  mind 
achieved  its  greatest  victories  over  matter;  more  useful  dis- 
coveries and  inventions  were  made  than  in  all  the  preceding 
ages.  Evidences  of  this  are  seen  everywhere — in  the  home, 
the  sewing-machine;  on  the  farm,  the  plows,  mowers,  reapers, 
and  great  harvesters  which  reap,  thrash,  and  sack  the  grain 
as  they  move  along;  in  the  busy  hives  of  industry,  the  won- 
derful engines  and  machines;  in  illumination,  matches,  gas, 
and  electricity;  in  modes  of  travel,  the  railroads  and  steam- 
ships; in  the  uses  of  light,  the  Eoentgen  ray,  the  spectroscope, 
and  photography;  in  preventing  and  alleviating  human  suf- 
fering, anesthetics  and  antiseptics.  In  theoretical  science  and 
speculative  philosophy  the  advance  has  been  equally  marked. 

2.  In  material  riches  the  nineteenth  century  is  unsur- 
passed. This  could  not  well  be  otherwise  with  the  conquest 
and  appropriation  of  the  natural  resources  of  all  the  islands 
and  continents  of  the  earth,  and  the  use  of  steam,  electricity, 
and  machinery,  combined  with  the  skill  and  culture  of  the  age, 
by  means  of  which  to  turn  everything  into  gold. 

183 


184  A  Century 

3.  The  mental  development  or  education  of  the  race  dur- 
ing the  nineteenth  century  has  never  been  equaled  in  any- 
other  age.  Never  before  were  there  so  many  school-teachers, 
pupils,  or  superior  instruction,  and  courses  of  study  offered; 
never  before  so  much  money  expended  to  make  an  education  a 
possibility  for  every  child  and  youth.  When  to  the  schools  are 
added  the  printing-press,  the  forum,  and  the  pulpit,  never  be- 
fore has  knowledge  so  freely  and  so  universally  run  to  and 
fro  and  increased  among  men.  Universal  education  is  the  end 
aimed  at,  and  much  progress  has  been  made  towards  it. 

How  has  Christianity  fared  in  the  century  of  such  wonder- 
ful growth?  It  has  been  brought  into  contact  with  all  the 
other  religions  of  the  globe,  and  substitutes  for  religion,  and 
systems  of  thought  which  ignore  all  religions.  How  has  it 
fared  in  this  world-wide  conflict?  It  must  be  confessed  that 
its  chief  foes  have  been  they  of  its  own  household. 

1.  For  the  past  half-century  a  materialistic  hypothesis  of 
evolution,  united  to  an  agnostic  view  of  the  universe,  waged 
war  upon  Christianity.  The  conflict  was  with  weapons  of 
keenest  logic,  and  fought  to  a  finish.  But  as  the  smoke  of 
battle  clears  away,  it  is  seen  that  evolution  has  had  its  ma- 
terialistic and  agnostic  views  consumed  as  by  fire,  and  what 
remains  vital  has  been  annexed  to  Christianity  as  conquered 
territory. 

2.  Next,  a  destructive  form  of  "higher  criticism"  waged  a 
fierce  war  upon  the  Word  of  God.  This  grew  out  of  a  certain 
critical  tendency  of  the  times.  The  same  spirit  questions  if 
Homer  wrote  the  books  called  by  his  name;  if  Shakespeare 
wrote  the  works  attributed  to  him.  Its  method  was  one  of 
doubt  as  opposed  to  one  of  faith.  The  signs  are  abundant 
that  this  attack,  so  far  as  it  was  skeptical  and  harmful,  has 
spent  its  force,  and  the  net  results  are  gains  to  the  old  Bible. 
The  attack  of  the  pen  called  out  the  defense  of  the  spade ;  and 
to-day  in  Crete,  Egypt,  Syria,  Assyria,  and  Babylonia  the  un- 
covering of  ancient  cities,  temples,  and  libraries  triumphantly 
confirms  the  Word  of  God. 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  185 

3.  As  to  the  third  attack  upon  Christianity,  we  are  in  the 
midst  of  it  to-day.  It  has  many  symptoms  or  modes  of  mani- 
festing its  presence.  In  one  place  it  is  seen  in  the  person  who 
sells  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage;  in  another,  in 
the  one  who  lets  the  family  altar  perish  in  his  home 
for  lack  of  time;  in  another,  in  him  who  ceases  to  attend 
the  house  of  God  for  the  same  reason,  or  because  his  em- 
ployer demands  his  services  on  the  Sabbath  day;  in  an- 
other, in  him  who  abandons  his  religion  because  it  costs 
him  something  to  maintain  it, — in  general,  it  is  seen  in 
the  greed  for  gain,  and  rush  after  material  riches  and  the 
privileges  and  pleasures  which  they  afford,  now  witnessed  all 
over  the  world  as  an  age  characteristic.  The  real  cause  is  a 
certain  habit  of  mind,  the  overestimating  of  the  value  of  ma- 
terial goods,  the  things  of  time  and  sense,  the  things  which  are 
seen  and  temporal,  as  contrasted  with  the  worth  of  the  un- 
seen, eternal,  spiritual  things;  its  root  is  living  according  to 
the  external  senses  and  not  living  the  life  of  faith.  This 
habit  of  mind  is  the  effect  of  the  materialistic  theory  of  life  of 
the  recent  past,  and  the  enormous  growth  in  riches  during 
the  past  century.  It  has  been  justly  termed  a  "geocentric" 
view  of  life,  as  distinguished  from  the  heavenly  vision.  It  is 
not  so  much  a  decided  and  conscious  opposition  to  Chris- 
tianity as  it  is  a  neglect  of  all  spiritual  things.  This  earth- 
centered  view  of  life  is  a  narrow  one.  It  is  concentrated, 
with  an  intense  gaze  upon  present  things,  present  pleasures, 
present  life,  present  success.  The  spiritual  faculty  of  faith 
is  suffering  a  temporary  paralysis;  the  eye  that  sees  the  in- 
visible is  shut,  or  partially  blind.  This  is  the  present  time- 
spirit.  We  await  a  new  Pentecost  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  bring 
the  remedy,  through  a  church  which,  like  its  Master,  seeks 
"not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,"  and  to  give  its 
life  for  the  ransom  of  the  world. 

How  has  Christianity  stood  these  tests?  What  is  her  con- 
dition at  the  end  of  the  century?  (1)  Numerically,  there 
have  been  larger  gains  than  in  all  the  preceding  years.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  were  200,000,- 


186  A  Century 

000;  at  its  close,  500,000,000  Christians.  (2)  Financially,  it 
has  shared  in  more  than  its  proportion  of  the  world's  growth 
in  wealth,  as  that  growth  has  been  almost  limited  to  Christen- 
dom. (3)  Its  vitality  during  the  century  was  that  of  a  strong 
man  rejoicing  to  run  a  race.  This  is  evinced  by  five  great 
movements,  additional  to  former  modes  of  church  activity: 
First,  the  Bible  societies,  through  whose  agency  the  Word 
of  God  has  been  circulated  in  all  the  chief  languages  of  the 
earth;  and  this  work  still  goes  on  at  a  rate  no  other  book  was 
ever  distributed  among  men.  The  second  is  the  great  mis- 
sionary movement,  which  goes  on  unabated,  and  which  is 
preaching  the  gospel  to  almost  all  nations.  The  third  is  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  movements,  by  which  thei 
gospel  is  brought  to  so  many  through  the  zeal  and  faith  of 
young  men  and  young  women.  The  fourth  is  the  Christian 
Endeavor  and  kindred  societies  to  unite  the  Christian  youth 
for  worship,  training,  and  aggressive  service  for  God  and  the 
right.  The  fifth  is  a  revival  in  spiritual  religion  during  the 
last  quarter  of  the  century,  and  still  going  on,  under  different 
names,  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  manifesting  itself  in 
increased  Bible  study,  prayer,  faith  in  God,  and  holy  living. 

But  in  addition  to  these  evidences  of  the  vitality  of  Chris- 
tianity there  has  been  an  overflow  into  the  world  of  such  in- 
fluences as  have  made  all  life  richer,  better,  more  worth  liv- 
ing. It  may  be  said:  In  a  political  sense  Christendom  is 
to-day  the  world.  If  we  take  a  map  of  the  globe  and  mark 
off  the  possessions  and  spheres  of  influence  of  the  Christian 
powers,  there  will  be  little  or  nothing  left  to  the  independent 
control  of  non- Christian  governments.  The  islands  of  the 
sea  are  all  appropriated;  the  Western  Continent  is  wholly 
under  Christian  rule;  the  partition  of  Africa  among  the 
Christian  nations  of  Europe  is  well-nigh  complete;  Asia  is 
slowly  coming  under  the  control  of  Christian  nations. 

The  Christian  leaven  is  working  among  the  nations,  as 
Been  in  the  overthrow  of  slavery,  greater  political  liberty  and 
equality  before  the  law,  and  in  the  growth  of  that  spirit  of 
altruism,  which  is  but  another  name  for  love,  that  is  leading 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  187 

many  a  rich  man  to  consecrate  his  riches  to  care  for  and  re- 
lieve the  defective  and  dependent  classes  in  a  manner  truly 
Christian.  More  money  has  thus  been  given  to  make  better 
the  lot  of  the  unfortunate  of  earth  in  the  past  ten  years  than 
was  given  in  the  first  thousand  years  of  the  Christian  era. 
Christianity  has  wrought  this  effect,  in  many  cases,  uncon- 
sciously to  the  givers. 

A  CENTURY  OF  OUR  HISTORY. 

A  revival  of  spiritual  religion,  of  vital  godliness,  among 
the  Germans  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  be- 
ginning in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  for  the 
next  half  century  being  the  occasion  of  many  great  religious 
meetings  and  many  conversions,  in  the  year  1800  resulted  in 
a  meeting  of  the  leaders  near  the  city  where  we  are  now 
assembled,  at  which  time  a  union  was  effected  of  the  different 
elements  growing  out  of  different  local  revivals,  and  an  or- 
ganization was  completed  by  the  election  of  general  officers 
and  the  assumption  of  a  distinct  name — the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ.  At  that  meeting  were  saintly  men  of  heroic  type — 
William  Otterbein,  Martyn  Boehm,  George  A.  Guething,  J. 
G.  Pfrimmer,  Christian  Newcomer,  Adam  Lehman,  Abraham 
Draksel,  Christian  Crum,  Henry  Crum,  John  Hershey,  J. 
Geisinger,  Henry  Boehm,  D.  Aurandt,  and  Jacob  Baulus. 
This  conference  of  these 'truly  apostolic  men,  and  the  initial 
conferences,  and  "great  meetings"  which  preceded,  as  well  as 
the  events  which  followed,  constantly  reminded  us  of  the  men 
and  events  in  the  early  church,  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  where  it  is  said:  "They,  continuing  daily  with  one 
accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from  house  to 
house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  singleness  of 
heart,  praising  God  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people.  And 
the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 
At  the  time  of  this  conference,  in  1800,  there  were  only  thirty- 
three  ministers  affiliated  with  the  movement,  and  no  enroll- 
ment had  yet  been  made  of  the  laity. 

The  Eepublic  itself  was  young,  having  but  five  and  a  quar- 


188  A  Century 

ter  millions  of  people,  but  few  west  of  the  Ohio  River.  The 
great  central  and  western  regions  were  almost  unknown.  The 
virgin  forests  and  verdant  prairies,  buffalo-covered  plains,  and 
unexplored  mountains  extended  almost  from  the  Ohio  River 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  Church  organized  one  hundred 
J  ears  ago  theoi  had  no  houses  of  worship,  no  Missionary  or 
Church-Erection  societies,  no  Sunday  schools,  no  Young  Peo- 
ple's Christian  Unions,  no  Woman's  society  of  any  kind,  no 
schools,  no  printing-press.  It  only  knew  one  thing — Christ 
Jesus  and  him  crucified.  It  had  but  one  aim — preach  the 
glad  tidings  and  thus  secure  the  salvation  of  souls.  It  had  but 
one  incentive — the  constraining  love  of  Christ. 

Our  Church  is  to-day  spread  abroad  over  the  land.  It  has 
taken  its  part  in  the  overthrow  of  slavery  and  in  the  war 
against  intemperance  and  all  other  evils  of  our  country;  it 
has  trained  citizens  for  places  of  usefulness,  honor,  and  trust; 
it  early  recognized  woman's  equality  with  man  in  all  the  serv- 
ices of  our  Lord;  it  heard  the  cry  of  its  children  for  knowl- 
edge, and  established  noble  schools  of  learning;  it  heard  them 
cry  for  spiritual  truth  and  training,  and  organized  a  vast 
system  of  Sunday  schools  and  Young  People's  Christian 
Unions;  it  heard  the  pitiful  wail  of  hungry  souls,  coming  up 
from  destitute  and  heathen  lands,  and,  through  two  efficient 
missionary  societies,  and  a  Church-Erection  Society,  it  has 
been  building  houses  of  worship  and  distributing  the  Bread 
of  Life  not  only  in  America,  but  also  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa, 
and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea.  Our  contribution  to  the  peace, 
prosperity,  and  progress  of  our  country  may  not  be  measured ; 
neither  can  be  estimated  the  vitality  which  has  flowed  out  into 
other  communions  around  us;  nor  can  the  joy  be  told  of  the 
millions  of  the  ransomed  who  are  before  the  throne  of  the 
Lamb,  through  our  toil  and  sacrifice.  But  as  the  loyal  chil- 
dren of  Otterbein  and  Boehm,  holding  in  grateful  remem- 
brance the  holy  lives  and  heroic  deeds  of  our  fathers,  we  are 
here  to  take  an  inventory  of  our  present  condition,  and  to 
plan  hopefully  and  courageously  for  the  future,  rejoicing  in 
what  God  hath  wrought. 


The  Bishops'   Quadrennial  Address  189 

Spiritual  life.  Christ  is  the  living  Vine.  Every  true  be- 
liever is  grafted  into  him,  and  receives  vitality  from  him,  and 
bears  fruit  because  of  this  union.  "By  their  fruits  ye  shall 
knovf  them;  an  evil  tree  cannot  bear  good  fruit,  neither  can 
a  good  tree  bear  evil  fruit."  Christ  Jesus  is  the  type  of  the 
new  man.  If  we  would  know  what  spiritual  life  is  in  its  per- 
fection we  can  see  it  in  him,  who  is  the  second  Adam,  the 
Head  of  the  new  creation,  the  spiritual  man.  To  be  spiritual 
is  to  be  Christlike,  to  show  forth  the  life  of  Christ  in  daily 
service.  The  spiritual  man  makes  the  interests  and  relations 
of  his  spirit  supreme;  those  of  his  body  are  subordinate  and 
secondary.  Spiritual  life  is  a  new  species  of  life,  a  heredity 
from  the  second  Adam.  Beginning  in  the  "washing  of  re- 
generation and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  as  a  mere 
babe,  it  finally  attains  to  the  stature  of  a  perfect  man  in 
Christ.  The  old  personality  and  originality  are  not  de- 
stroyed, but  they  are  permeated  by  a  new  spirit,  the  spirit  of 
sacrificial  love.  The  man  becomes  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  works  through  the  thinking,  the  feeling,  the 
volition,  the  whole  man  "to  will  and  to  do  his  good  pleasure." 
The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  grow  from  bud  to  perfection,  such  as 
love,  joy,  peace,  long  suffering,  faithfulness,  meekness,  tem- 
perance. 

Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  there  is  as  infinite  a  variety  in 
spiritual  life  as  there  is  in  vegetable  or  in  animal  life,  and 
that  it  passes  from  infancy  up  to  manhood ;  that  is,  that  there 
are  all  stages  of  progress  in  spiritual  life.  John,  leaning  on 
the  Saviour's  breast,  Peter  preaching  the  great  Pentecostal 
sermon,  Paul  writing  his  profoundly  intellectual  letter  to  the 
Ephesians,  James  "visiting  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in 
their  affliction,"  and  Dorcas  making  coats  and  garments  for 
the  poor,  were  all  living  spiritual  lives,  and  rendering  spirit- 
ual service  unto  God.  Only  those  states,  or  acts,  or  things 
which  are  sinful  or  merely  animal  are  unspiritual.  In  the 
progress  of  Christianity  the  different  elements  of  man's  triune 
nature  have  been  conquered,  one  at  a  time,  or  one  side  of  his 


190  A  Century 

nature  was  more  affected  than  another,  giving  rise  to  different 
standards  of  what  is  religious  or  spiritual.  In  one  age  that 
only  was  accounted  spiritual  which  was  emotional  and  de- 
monstrative; in  another,  to  be  spiritual  meant  to  retire  to  a 
monastery,  to  meditate,  to  pray,  and  to  write  out  a  vast  system 
of  speculative  theology  too  ponderous  to  be  even  read  in  our 
rapid  age;  while  in  still  another,  it  meant  to  devote  the  life 
to  deeds  of  loving  service  for  the  welfare  of  mankind.  One 
made  spirituality  a  matter  of  the  heart,  another  made  it  a 
matter  of  the  head,  and  the  other  made  it  a  matter  of  the 
hand.  If  this  age  is  one  of  will,  the  helping  hand,  it  may  not 
be  called  wholly  unspiritual,  for  surely  it  is  imitating  our 
Lord  in  feeding  the  hungry,  clothing  the  naked,  and  visiting 
the  sick  and  imprisoned,  and  for  which  it  will  bear  his  ap- 
proval, "Come,  inherit  the  kingdom."  Let  us  not  be  too 
hasty  in  judging  of  what  is  spiritual.  May  not  the  material 
growth  of  the  Church  be  one  sign  of  a  true  spirituality,  even 
though  our  ideal  is  broader  and  includes  more  ?  Is  it  not  true 
that  all  useful  work,  all  honest  toil,  of  whatsoever  kind, 
whether  it  be  to  sow  or  to  reap,  to  buy  or  to  sell,  to  build  a 
house  or  to  rule  a  nation,  to  alleviate  pain,  or  to  teach  the 
children,  as  well  as  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  sing,  and  to  pray, 
may  be  done  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus?  And  when  so 
done  for  his  sake,  is  it  not  a  spiritual  service?  Is  not  pre- 
senting unto  God  our  bodies  holy  and  acceptable  a  spiritual 
service  ?  Are  not  preaching  good  tidings  to  the  poor,  releasing 
the  captives,  giving  sight  to  the  blind,  and  liberty  to  the 
bruised,  all  evidence  of  being  anointed  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  now  as  of  old?  Is  not  every  Christian  "a  worker  together 
with  God,"  a  partner  of  God's,  to  make  this  world  better  and 
happier?  We  find  this  was  the  doctrine  of  our  fathers;  they 
regarded  themselves  as  partners  of  God  in  every  good  work, 
and  we,  their  children,  hold  the  same  evangelical  truth. 

In  this  we  have  a  test  of  what  Christians  may  lawfully  do — 
they  may  do  whatever  can  be  done  in  partnership  with  God; 
whatever  it  is  clear  that  God  has  no  partnership  in,  a  Christian 
should  have  no  part  in.     Apply  this  test  to  church  finances. 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  191 

and  every  one  will  honestly  pay  God  his  part  of  the  profits  of 
this  divine-human  firm,  and  some  of  the  present  financial 
methods  will  cease.  Apply  this  test  to  business,  and  we  will 
engage  in  nothing  but  what  God  wants  done  for  man's  good. 
Apply  it  to  politics,  and  we  will  vote  no  ticket  on  which  God 
cannot  be  a  partner.  Thus  we  will  make  every  part  of  life 
holy  and  spiritual  because  lived  in  fellowship  with  God. 


THE   CHURCH   JlSD   THE   FAMILY. 

In  Christianity  and  in  modern  scientific  thought  the  family 
occupies  the  most  important  place  in  the  life  of  society.  It 
is  the  fountain  from  which  the  stream  of  humanity  flows. 
Here  is  where  heredity  and  environment  may  combine  their 
mighty  forces  to  make  a  godly  race.  There  is  no  other  place 
on  earth  where  God  is  so  vitally  present  to  sanctify  the  chil- 
dren through  the  believing  parents.  Here  best  can  be  taught 
the  life  of  sacrificial  service,  and  all  the  principles  of  Chris- 
tian character  be  established  in  the  plastic  nature  of  youth. 
Here  the  Church  can  do  some  of  its  best,  most  enduring  work 
by  speaking  the  truth  in  love  relating  to  married  life,  the  early 
conversion  and  religious  training  of  children;  by  encouraging 
family  worship,  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  other  good  books 
and  papers,  and  obedience  to  the  law  of  love  in  the  home,  and 
by  inspiring  a  desire  for  education  and  progress. 

The  family  is  fundamental  in  both  church  and  state.  It  is 
the  only  legitimate  gateway  of  the  coming  generation  into 
life  and  society.  It  is  the  best  school  for  both  parents  and 
children  to  train  for  social  efficiency.  The  divine  ideal  of 
marriage  is  the  voluntary  and  loving  union  of  one  man  and 
one  woman  for  life.  The  evils  which  threaten  this  institution 
are  not  so  much  the  results  of  unfavorable  circumstances, 
though  these  are  not  small,  as  of  unspiritual  and  undomestic 
views  of  happiness  and  success.  The  marriage  founded  upon 
nothinsT  more  reliable  than  the  romantic  imagination  of  youth, 
or  the  mere  desire  to  gratify  animal  lust,  or  the  ambition  to 
share  somebody's  name,  reputation,  or  fortune,  is  so  lacking 


192  A  Century 

in  the  Christian  ideal,  and  in  enduring  ethical  elements,  as  to 
furnish  constant  employment  for  the  divorce  courts.  The  low 
standards  of  courts  granting  divorces  are  only  equalled  by  the 
lax  consciences  of  those  seeking  them.  Two  great  causes  lead 
in  this  direction:  One  is  selfishness  in  some  one  of  its  many 
forms,  the  absence  of  forbearance,  kindness,  love.  The  other 
is  the  rush  for  material  good.  One  is  the  love  of  self,  the 
other  is  the  love  of  money.  But  while  sixty  out  of  each  one 
thousand  marriages  in  America  prove  a  failure,  in  the  nine 
hundred  and  forty  successful  homes  Christianity  is  taking  its 
deepest  root  and  bearing  its  most  precious  fruitage.  Children 
brought  up  in  the  truly  Christian  home  where  love  is  the  law 
of  life,  and  sacrificial  service  its  constant  expression,  find  it 
easy  to  believe  in  God  the  Father,  and  in  man  the  brother,  for 
they  have  lived  in  sight  of  these  facts,  attractively  symbolized 
from  infancy. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  SOCIAL  PROGRESS. 

As  the  new  century  begins,  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the  pro- 
foundest  investigation  of  human  society  and  the  conditions  of 
its  progress  known  in  the  history  of  the  race.  These  studies 
are  prosecuted  by  all  classes  of  students.  The  church  is  en- 
gaged in  this  research,  as  she  cannot  remain  indifferent  to 
anything  that  affects  mankind.  It  is  only  through  knowledge 
of  the  facts  involved  that  she  can  wisely  and  hopefully  en- 
gage in  the  task  of  social  betterment.  Of  the  social  function 
of  the  church  we  are  all  conscious  as  never  before  in  modern 
times.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  growth  of  the  social  con- 
sciousness of  the  race,  and  partly  due  to  a  fuller  interpreta- 
tion of  Christianity;  namely,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  to  save 
society  as  well  as  the  individual. 

This  new  consciousness  of  each  other  is  the  result  of  the 
growing  recognition  of  God  as  the  Father  of  us  all.  And  the 
universal  fatherhood  implies  universal  brotherhood  "of  church 
with  church  in  the  communion  of  saints,  of  nation  with  nation 
in  the  bonds  of  an  international  patriotism,  of  race  with  race 
in   the   strangely  new  and  real  race  consciousness  which  is 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  193 

thrilling  the  body  of  humanity,  of  craft  with  craft,  and  class 
with  mass,  and  man  with  man  the  world  over." 

Next  to  the  earnest  study  of  the  social  problem  of  the  age, 
it  is  the  social  function  of  the  church  to  teach  and  to  illus- 
trate the  divine  ideal  of  social  life.  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  the  divine  ideal  of  society.  Intensively,  it  is  the  regenera- 
tion of  the  individual,  "righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Spirit";  extensively,  it  is  a  divine  leaven  that  regener- 
ates every  social  institution,  thus  making,  not  the  Church 
alone,  but  also  the  family,  the  school,  the  community,  the  in- 
dustrial organizations,  and  the  political  institutions,  organs  of 
righteousness  and  means  for  securing  peace  and  good  will 
among  men.  The  church  must  be  a  sample  of  this  kingdom, 
a  colony  of  heaven  planted  in  this  world  of  chaos,  lifting  up 
holy  hands  to  God,  constantly  praying,  "Thy  kingdom  come, 
thy  will  be  done,  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  It  must  embody 
in  its  relations  to  all  men  the  command  to  "love  our  neighbor 
as  ourselves,"  and  the  Golden  Eule,  "All  things  therefore 
whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  even  so  do 
ye  also  unto  them :  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets."  The 
church  must  exemplify  the  love  and  patience  of  the  Father 
toward  the  wandering,  prodigal  sons  of  men,  and  the  com- 
passion and  humanity  of  the  good  Samaritan  towards  all  men 
in  suffering  and  distress. 

The  third  social  function  of  the  church  is  to  give  itself  in 
sacrificial  service  for  society,  even  as  Christ  Jesus  counted 
not  the  glory  he  had  with  the  Father  a  prize  to  be  retained, 
but  emptied  himself  and  came  to  earth  as  he  that  serveth. 
The  sacrificial  service  of  Christ,  and  of  his  early  followers, 
was  the  medium  of  the  Spirit's  power  in  the  regeneration  of 
society  in  the  Koman  Empire.  The  life  of  Jesus  was  one  of 
sacrificial  service  from  beginning  to  end,  as  it  is  written,  "Him- 
self took  our  infirmities  and  bear  our  diseases."  His  life  was 
thus  the  medium  through  which  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God 
operated  on  men.  Paul  had  this  conception  of  his  mission 
when  he  sought  to  fill  up  that  which  was  "behind  of  the  suffer- 
ing of  Christ,  for  his  body's  sake,  which  is  the  church."     The 

13 


194  A  Century 

church  that  saves  itself  cannot  save  others;  but  the  one  that 
loses  its  life  for  others  shall  find  it  again.  The  church  is  the 
body  of  Christ ;  this  body  must  be  given  in  high  and  holy,  un- 
reserved, sacrificial  service  as  the  only  medium  through  which 
the  Spirit  can  save  society  from  its  evils  and  death.  This  sac- 
rifice is  all  that  awaits  the  pouring  out  of  the  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh,  and  a  nation's  being  born  in  a  day. 

The  United  Brethren  in  Christ  have  always  believed  in  not 
only  the  saving  of  the  individual  man,  but  also  in  the  spir- 
itualization  of  his  environment.  A  perfect  man  in  a  healthy 
environment  is  the  ideal  aimed  at.  It  not  only  is  a  revival 
church,  but  it  is  one  aiming  at  social  betterment.  Hence  our 
war  against  slavery  in  the  past,  and  our  present  and  past  fight 
against  the  saloon  curse,  and  everything  else  that  fetters  indi- 
vidual or  social  progress.  In  the  social  crisis  upon  the  modern 
world,  growing  out  of  the  multiplication  of  machinery,  the 
accumulation  of  vast  wealth  in  the  hands  of  the  few,  and  the 
struggle  of  the  toilers  for  a  larger  share  of  the  profits  of  their 
own  labors  and  a  better  opportunity  in  life,  the  church  must 
be  the  friend  and  reconciler  of  all  classes.  She  must  always 
remember  the  lowly  life  of  her  Master  and  his  sympathy  with 
the  masses,  and  recall  that  hei*  mission  is  to  repeat  his  life  and 
labors  among  men.  But  she  should  never  assume  that  the  pos- 
session of  wealth,  however  great,  is  a  proof  that  its  owner  is 
an  oppressor  of  the  poor  or  an  evil-doer.  The  vast  opportuni- 
ties of  the  recent  past,  and  the  possession  of  rare  talents  and 
training,  have  made  such  fortunes  possible.  The  voluntary 
redistribution  of  these  fortunes,  under  the  growing  sense  of 
the  trusteeship  of  wealth,  for  the  benefit  of  the  unfortunate 
classes,  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  of  the  times,  that  the 
rich  and  the  poor  will  yet  meet  together  and  Jehovah  be  recog- 
nized as  the  Maker  of  them  all. 

THE   CHURCH   AND   MORAL   REFORMS. 

The  church  has  put  down  and  destroyed  many  great  evils. 
It  accomplishes  this  work  by  holding  up  a  better  standard  of 
life,  revealing  the  degrading  character  of  sin,  causing  the  en- 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  195 

lightened  conscience  to  antagonize  the  evil  thing;  but  its 
greatest  reformatory  power  is  found  in  that  fullness  of  life 
which  Christ  came  to  give  to  men.  A  healthy  soul  is  as  proof 
against  moral  evil  as  a  healthy  body  is  against  physical  dis- 
ease. As  our  Church  was  not  one  of  those  that  waited  until 
slavery  was  abolished  before  entering  the  field  against  it, 
neither  does  it  to-day  play  the  coward  towards  any  other  evils, 
but,  in  the  name  of  God,  we  lift  up  a  standard  against  them. 

1.  Intemperance  and  the  saloon  traffic.  In  so  early  a  date 
as  1837  our  Church  legislated  against  the  liquor  traffic,  and 
in  1841  it  prohibited  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicat- 
ing liquors  as  a  beverage  by  any  of  our  people.  This  has  been 
our  attitude  ever  since  towards  this  greatest  evil  of  our  day 
and  parent  of  most  other  evils.  We  will  never  cease  to  wage 
an  uncompromising  war  e gainst  it,  till  it  is  utterly  destroyed 
from  among  men. 

2.  Divorce  and  polygamy.  Divorce,  except  for  scriptural 
reasons,  is  forbidden  among  us,  and  as  related  to  the  welfare 
of  society  and  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  it 
is  no  better  than  polygamy.  The  latter  deserves  no  mercy  at 
the  hands  of  civil  law,  and  the  former  more  rigid  treatment  by 
both  church  and  state. 

3.  Sahhath  desecration.  The  Sabbath  is  for  man ;  he  needs 
it  for  physical,  mental,  moral,  social,  and  religious  reasons. 
Man  cannot  live  a  completely  human  life  without  a  day  of 
rest.  The  commercialism  of  the  age  is  robbing  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  men  of  their  divine  right  to  rest.  They  are  cut 
off  from  the  fellowship  of  their  families  and  the  church,  be- 
cause of  this  oppression.  Other  multitudes  spend  the  day  in 
frivolity  and  pleasure-seeking,  turning  this  blessing  of  God 
into  an  occasion  for  sin.  In  our  cities  it  is  found  that  it  is  the 
tenth  man  who  insists  on  keeping  open  his  shop  or  store,  and 
thus  compelling  the  nine  others  to  do  so,  when  they  would  like 
to  spend  the  day  with  their  families.  Liberty  needs  a  new 
definition  that  will  allow  every  one  the  opportunity  to  spend 
God's  holy  day  in  peace  and  quietness  in  the  home  and  the 
church. 


196  A  Century 

4.  Amusements.  Innocent  amusements  and  recreations  are 
a  necessity  for  human  nature.  A  tradition  of  St.  John  the 
Evangelist  comes  down 'to  us  to  this  effect:  The  aged  saint 
was  one  day  found  by  an  ascetic  person,  playing  with  a  pet 
partridge.  When  rebuked  for  wasting  his  time,  John  replied, 
"I  am  relaxing ;  the  bow  always  bent  loses  its  elasticity."  The 
strenuous  life  needs  its  relaxation.  No  Christian  who  keeps 
a  good  conscience,  and  grows  in  knowledge  and  grace,  will  have 
any  trouble  to  decide  what  are  innocent  or  what  are  harmful 
amusements.  For  the  sake  of  others  he  will  observe  the  law 
of  consistency:  "If  eating  meat  or  drinking  wine  cause  my 
brother  to  stumble,  I  will  eat  no  meat,  nor  drink  any  wine, 
while  the  world  stands."  For  Christ's  sake,  and  his  own,  he 
will  do  nothing  in  which  God  cannot  be  his  partner.  These  are 
safe  principles  of  conduct. 

5.  War.  War  is  always  a  calamity.  But,  like  the  thunder- 
storm that  purifies  the  air  and  brings  along  the  refreshing  rain, 
it  is  sometimes  a  necessity.  But  this  necessity  diminishes  as 
the  race  grows  in  humanity  and  away  from  the  animal.  Wars 
for  the  avenging  of  petty  offenses,  or  for  the  conquest  of  ter- 
ritory ought  never  to  occur  among  the  followers  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace.  Notwithstanding  the  preparations  now  being  made, 
and  the  rumors  of  war,  may  we  not  trust  in  an  overruling 
Providence  that  the  time  is  at  hand  for  all  Christians  to  settle 
all  individual,  state,  and  national  difficulties  by  peaceful  arbi- 
tration ? 

6.  Lynching.  The  increasing  number  of  lynchings  occur- 
ring in  our  fair  land  is  a  cause  of  deep  humiliation  and  shame. 
Yet  the  uncertainty  with  which  the  courts  administer  justice 
and  the  law's  delays  are  largely  the  cause  of  this  element  of 
anarchy.  The  churches  of  our  country  should  everywhere  lift 
the  voice  against  this  mode  of  punishment  and  insist  on  the 
courts  being  more  swift  and  certain  in  the  execution  of  justice. 
"Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed 
speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in 
them  to  do  evil"  is  as  true  to-day  as  in  the  olden  times. 


The  Bishops^   Quadrennial  Address  197 

THE  CHURCH  AND  STATE. 

The  state,  no  less  than  the  church,  is  a  divine  institution, 
through  which  God  seeks  to  enforce  justice  among  men.  It  is 
not  the  form  of  government  that  is  divine,  as  that  must  de- 
pend on  the  character  of  the  people  governed;  yet  even  in 
this,  as  the  people  are  able  to  receive  it,  the  logic  of  Chris- 
tianity is  democracy — "government  of  the  people,  by  the  peo- 
ple, and  for  the  people."  Edmund  Burke  says:  "Without 
civil  society  man  could  not  by  any  possibility  arrive  at  the 
perfection  of  which  his  nature  is  capable,  nor  even  make  a 
remote  and  faint  approach  to  it.  He  who  gave  our  nature  to 
be  perfected  by  our  virtue,  willed  also  the  necessary  means  to 
its  perfection.  He  willed  therefore  the  state;  he  willed  its 
connection  with  the  source  and  original  archetype  of  all  per- 
lection."  He  says  further :  "It  is  to  be  looked  on  with  rever- 
ence, because  it  is  not  a  partnership  in  things  subservient  only 
to  the  gross  animal  existence  of  a  temporary  and  perishable 
nature.  It  is  a  partnership  in  all  science,  a  partnership  in  all 
art,  a  partnership  in  every  virtue  and  in  all  perfection." 

The  Biblical  teaching  on  this  subject  is  plain  and  unmis- 
takable. Back  of  the  state  is  God;  back  of  the  civil  statute  is 
the  righteousness  of  God;  back  of  the  earthly  rules  is  the 
King  of  kings.  The  underlying  idea  of  the  Judaic  legislation 
was  the  kingship  of  Jehovah.  Judges,  rulers,  and  kings  were 
not  regarded  as  sources  of  authority,  but  as  channels.  The 
judges  are  charged  to  judge  righteously,  "for  the  judgment  is 
God's."  He  is  Ruler  among  the  nations  forever.  The  New 
Testament  presents  the  same  doctrine  of  civil  government: 
"Let  every  soul  be  in  subjection  to  the  higher  powers,  for  there 
is  no  power  but  of  God ;  and  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of 
God.  Therefore,  he  that  resisteth  the  powers  withstands  the 
ordinance  of  God.  'Wherefore  ye  must  needs  be  in  subjection, 
not  only  because  of  wrath,  but  also  for  conscience  sake.  For 
this  cause  ye  pay  tribute  also;  for  they  are  ministers  of  God's 
service.'  For  this  reason  the  Christian  is  commanded  to  pray 
for  rulers,  and  for  all  in  authoritv.    It  is  to  be  feared  that  we 


198  A  Century} 

are  losing  sight  of  this  divine  idea  and  purpose  of  the  state, 
and  that  partisan  politics  is  degrading  state  office  to  a  mere 
prize  to  be  won,  or  as  a  reward  for  a  friend,  or  as  an  op- 
portunity to  defeat  a  political  foe. 

"No  other  institution  on  earth  so  holds  in  its  grasp  the  weal 
or  woe  of  the  millions  now  living  and  of  the  millions  yet  to  be 
as  the  state.  The  social  order,  the  national  sentiments,  the 
governmental  regulations,  influence  immeasurably  every  soul 
that  comes  within  their  reach.  More  and  more  men  are  com- 
ing to  see  that  the  state  has  a  moral  end,  and  that  the  real 
work  of  citizens  consists  of  so  shaping  institutions  and  so 
framing  legislation  that  conditions  may  be  secured  favorable 
to  the  development  of  noble  characters.  The  true  wealth  of 
states  is  to  be  measured,  not  in  terms  of  material  resources, 
but  in  the  growth  of  moral  personality."  The  Christian  should 
be  a  patriot,  loving  his  country  and  ever  ready  to  aid  it,  even 
to  die  for  it,  if  need  be.  The  Christian  should  carry  Christian 
principles  into  politics  with  him.  Politics  is  the  science  of 
good  government.  This  noble  science  should  not  be  turned 
over  to  the  demagogue,  or  mere  partisan.  The  state  is  to  be 
regenerated  and  made  an  instrument  of  righteousness.  This 
cannot  be  done  without  Christian  men  doing  their  duty  here 
as  conscientiously  as  they  do  it  in  the  church.  Moral  princi- 
ples must  be  brought  into  politics  as  in  the  personal  and  fam- 
ily life.  The  unprincipled  man  is  no  more  fit  to  hold  an 
office  in  the  state  than  in  the  church ;  he  is  no  more  fit  to  be  a 
lawmaker  for  the  state  than  for  the  church.  A  new  patriotism 
is  growing,  even  Christian  citizenship,  in  which  men  feel  as 
keenly  their  obligations  to  God  for  their  political  relations  and 
acts  as  for  their  private  lives. 

CHRISTIAN  UNITY. 

Our  Lord  prayed  for  his  followers,  "That  they  all  may  be 
one;  even  as  thou  Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that. they 
also  may  be  in  us :  that  the  world  may  believe  thou  didst  send 
me ;  that  they  may  be  one  even  as  we  are  one."  Paul  tells  us : 
"There  is  one  body,  and  one  spirit,  even  as  also  ye  were  called 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  199 

in  one  hope  of  your  calling;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism, 
one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  over  all,  and  through  all, 
and  in  all."  These  expressions  present  that  ideal  unity  in  the 
thought  of  God  concerning  his  church,  the  original  union 
which  has  been  marred  and  broken,  but  never  entirely  de- 
stroyed. While  Christians  differ  on  many  minor  things,  they 
are  agreed  in  far  more  and  greater  things.  They  differ  in 
''dogmas  and  theology,"  but  they  agree  in  the  fundamental 
articles  of  faith  which  are  necessary  to  salvation.  They  are 
divided  in  church  government  and  discipline,  but  all  acknowl- 
edge and  obey  Christ  as  Head  of  the  church  and  Chief  Shep- 
herd of  souls.  They  differ  widely  in  modes  of  worship,  rites, 
and  ceremonies,  but  they  worship  the  same  God  manifested  in 
Christ,  they  surround  the  same  throne  of  grace,  and  pray  as 
the  Lord  has  taught  them,  and  can  sing  the  same  classic 
hymns.  They  hold  to  the  same  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  and 
the  ethical  unity  of  the  church  never  has  been  seriously 
shaken,  as  the  noblest  souls  in  all  communities  live  the  same 
divine  life  of  faith. 

For  ages  a  reunited  Christendom  has  been  the  faith  and 
prayer  of  the  most  devout  and  intelligent  followers  of  Christ. 
This  will  be  accomplished  only  by  sharing  the  unity  of  the 
Spirit.  We  are  taught  that  all  good  gifts  and  graces  and 
fruits  are  from  the  one  Spirit,  who  is  given  to  every  man  to 
profit  withal.  In  that  new  Pentecost,  which  is  approaching, 
and  may  be  nearer  than  we  think,  every  man  shall  hear  the 
wonderful  things  of  God  in  his  own  tongue,  and  be  brought 
into  unity  with  all  others  by  the  one  Spirit.  The  past  century 
has  been  noted  for  its  movements  towards  unity  in  both  the 
church  and  the  human  race.  But  we  can  only  speak  of  the 
former,  as  seen  in  the  union  of  the  Lutheran  and  German  Re- 
formed churches  in  Germany,  the  union  of  the  Old  and  New 
School  Presbyterians  in  this  country,  the  union  of  the  four 
branches  of  Presbyterians  in  Canada,  the  union  of  the  five 
independent  bodies  of  Methodists  in  Canada,  and  the  recent 
church  union  effected  in  Scotland.     We  commend  the  follow- 


200  A  Century 

ing  suggestions  of  the  late  Dr.  Philip  Schaff  as  some  of  the 
moral  means  for  hastening  the  reunion  of  Christendom : 

"1.  The  cultivation  of  a  peaceful  and  evangelical-catholic 
spirit  in  personal  intercourse  with  our  fellow-Christians  of 
other  denominations. 

"2.  Cooperation  in  Christian  and  philanthropic  work  draws 
men  together  and  promotes  their  mutual  confidence  and  re- 
gard. 

"3.  Missionary  societies  should  at  once  come  to  a  definite 
agreement,  prohibiting  all  mutual  interference  in  their  ef- 
forts to  spread  the  gospel  at  home  and  abroad. 

"4.  The  study  of  church  history,  symbolics,  and  compara- 
tive theology  are  important  means  of  correcting  sectarian 
prejudice  and  increasing  mutual  appreciation. 

"5.  One  word  suffices  as  regards  the  duty  and  privilege  of 
prayer  for  Christian  union  in  the  spirit  of  our  Lord's  sacer- 
dotal prayer,  that  his  disciples  may  be  one  in  him,  even  as  he 
i;?  one  with  the  Father." 

We  may  briefly  state  that  our  Board  of  Bishops  has  for  two 
years  past  been  in  consultation  with  the  Board  of  Bishops  of 
the  Radical  United  Brethren  Church  with  reference  to  adjust- 
ing differences  between  these  two  bodies.  Some  progress  has 
been  made.  We  recommend  that  this  General  Conference 
authorize  the  Board  of  Bishops  to  continue  their  efforts  with 
the  body  named,  and  with  any  other  evangelical  bodies  that 
may  desire  union  on  terms  honoring  God  and  honorable  to 
all  concerned. 

OUTLOOK. 

And  now,  brethren,  we  commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the 
Word  of  his  grace,  begging  you  to  consider  the  glorious 
cause  in  whose  behalf  you  have  met,  that  your  acts  here 
may  be  worthy  of  our  high  calling.  As  a  recent  writer 
has  said:  "Among  all  the  blessings  conferred  on  com- 
ing time  none  can  equal  in  worth  and  in  extent  the  grace 
and  influence  of  Christianity.  Admitting  her  defects  as 
she  appears  in  history,  conceding  her  melancholy  failures  at 


The  Bishops'  Quadrennial  Address  201 

various  points,  nevertheless,  no  other  institution  compares  with 
her  in  the  range  of  her  benefactions  and  in  the  scope  of  her 
mission.  The  past  century  bears  witness  to  her  benevolence 
and  beauty,  to  her  preciousness  and  power.  Wherever  during 
the  last  hundred  years  a  wrong  has  been  righted,  a  shackle 
has  been  broken,  a  wound  has  been  healed,  a  burden  has  been 
lightened,  she  has  not  been  absent  from  the  scene.  What  the 
sun  is  to  nature,  that  Christianity  has  been  to  society.  The 
highway  of  gold  in  the  sea,  the  brilliant  and  transfiguring 
colors  in  the  evening  clouds,  the  flush  of  health  on  the  cheek  of 
maidenhood,  the  ripening  riches  of  fruits  and  harvests,  the  coal 
fire  blazing  on  our  hearth,  the  gas  and  electric  light  illumin- 
ing our  chambers,  and  the  very  forces  by  which  machinery  is 
impelled,  are  all  the  products  of  the  chief  orb  in  the  solar  sys- 
tem. And  as  the  sun  is  the  prolific  source  of  inestimable  bene- 
fits to  the  earth,  so  Christianity  has  been  the  mother  of  innu- 
merable mercies  to  the  suffering  and  struggling  world.  If 
childhood  laughs  more  freely  and  sweetly,  if  womanhood  walks 
more  independently  and  safely,  if  manhood  toils  more  cheer- 
fully and  hopefuly,  if  brotherhood  prevails  more  generally  and 
absolutely,  and  if  priesthood  has  lost  much  of  its  bigotry,  and 
statehood  much  of  its  tyranny,  Christianity  is  to  be  praised, 
for  to  her  heavenly  ministry  these  blessings  are  largely  due." 
We  stand  within  the  portal  of  the  new  century.  It  is  natural 
that  our  first  impressions  should  come  to  us  through  the  hear- 
ing of  the  ear  and  the  vision  of  the  eye.  Through  these  sources 
we  learn  of  poverty's  burden,  blight,  and  heart-breaking, 
wealth's  greed,  grandeur,  and  godlessness ;  society's  inequality, 
injustice,  and  unrest;  politics  corruption,  fraud,  and  tyranny. 
But  much  of  this  as  may  be  real,  it  is  only  the  visible  and  tem- 
porary which  is  thus  seen.  It  reminds  us  of  the  vision  of  the 
prophet's  servant  at  Dothan.  When  he  first  looked  out  and 
saw  the  Assyrian  army  all  about  him,  his  heart  failed  through 
fear,  and  he  said  to  his  master,  "Ah !  we  shall  now  be  taken." 
But  the  old  prophet,  who  had  learned  not  to  judge  by  the  mere 
outer  appearance  of  things,  prayed  that  the  young  man's  eyes 
might  be  opened,  then  sent  him  to  look  again.     And,  behold, 

14 


202  A  Century 

he  saw  the  mountains  full  of  horsemen  and  chariots,  the  in- 
visible host  of  God  sent  for  their  deliverance.  Then  he  ex- 
claimed, "They  that  are  for  us  are  more  than  they  that  are 
against  us."  The  vision  of  faith  only  can  give  us  the  true 
condition  of  things.  The  man  who  leaves  out  of  account  God 
and  his  invisible  host  is  always  a  pessimist.  But  "seeing  him 
who  is  invisible"  means  optimism  and  endurance.  When 
Israel's  bondage  became  intolerable,  Moses,  the  deliverer,  ap- 
peared. When  the  Dark  Ages  had  almost  quenched  the  light 
of  the  gospel,  Luther,  the  reformer,  appeared.  When  the  bond- 
age of  the  slave  became  intolerable,  Lincoln,  the  liberator,  ap- 
peared. When  the  fullness  of  time  was  at  hand,  the  Messiah 
came;  and  when  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  poured  out.  God  is  in  his  world,  and  has  never  been  ab- 
sent from  it,  neither  has  he  exhausted  his  possibilities  concern- 
ing it.  WTien  the  finger  on  the  dial  of  time  points  to  the  hour, 
he  will  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  nations  will  be 
born  in  a  day.  The  gentle  rain  falls  upon  the  dry  ground,  and 
the  earth  is  soon  covered  with  green  grass ;  the  sun  lifts  up  the 
raindrops,  carries  them  over  and  showers  them  on  the  wheat- 
fields,  and  soon  they  are  waving  a  golden  harvest.  The  sun 
gathers  up  the  little  drops  again  and  scatters  them  over  the 
fields  of  wilting  corn,  and  soon  there  is  the  stalk  and  ear  and 
full  corn  in  the  ear,  and  the  song  of  rejoicing  in  the  "harvest 
home."  The  drops  of  water  make  these  wonderful  changes, 
because  they  are  in  partnership  with  the  sun.  God^s  people 
"cause  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  places  to  be  glad,  and 
the  desert  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose,"  because  they  are  in 
partnership  with  the  great  Sun  of  Kighteousness.  They  are 
not  the  source  of  blessing;  they  are  only  the  channel  through 
which  he  conveys  it.  The  multitudes  are  weary  and  hungry. 
The  church  is  commanded  to  give  the  people  to  eat.  But  there 
are  only  a  few  loaves  and  fishes.  How  can  these  satisfy  the 
great  multitude?  Still,  the  command  is  given,  "Give  ye  them 
to  eat."  When  faith  takes  the  place  of  sight  and  the  small 
provision  is  handed  over  to  Jesus,  and  he  blesses  it,  it  is  found 
that  all  are  fed,  and  much  is  left  over. 


The  Bishops^  Quadrennial  Address  203 

The  churcli  is  God's  storehouse,  where  he  multiplies  the  sup- 
ply for  every  spiritual  need,  as  faith  puts  forth  the  effort  to  use 
what  is  already  in  possession.  According  to  the  teaching  of 
Jesus,  the  Christian  church  is  a  channel  of  spiritual  energy, 
a  mighty  social  dynamic,  a  fountain  of  redemptive  life.  "I 
came  tha^  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly.*' 
"The  church  is  a  'power-house,'  where  there  is  generated  a 
supply  of  spiritual  energy  sufficient  to  move  the  world  with 
wisdom,  courage,  and  love.  Let  this  power  fail,  and  a  church 
stands  in  the  midst  of  modern  life  without  an  adequate  rea- 
son for  existence — a  Sunday  club,  an  entertainment  bureau,  a 
mere  survival  of  the  days  when  religion  was  real."  Without 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church  it  is  a  body  without  life,  an  al- 
tar without  fire,  a  temple  without  God. 

Brethren,  our  Church  is  composed  of  as  noble  Christian 
people  as  exist  on  earth;  our  Church  organization  is  equally 
good.  What  we  need  is  to  embody  more  and  more  the  living 
Christ  in  our  individual  and  in  our  Church  life,  as  our  "wis- 
dom and  righteousness,  our  sanctification  and  redemption"; 
and  to  conserve  wisely  all  that  is  pure,  and  true,  and  right, 
and  good,  and  lovely  of  the  past,  and  to  open  wide  and 
hospitable  hearts  to  all  the  new  light  coming  to  us  from  God's 
Word  and  his  works,  from  his  people  and  his  Providence ;  then 
the  world  will  be  blessed  by  our  presence,  and  millions  will  be 
saved  by  our  labors;  and  dealing  justly,  loving  mercy,  and 
walking  humbly  with  our  God,  we  shall  go  through  the  century 
before  us  over  a  shining  pathway  that  grows  brighter  and 
brighter  unto  the  perfect  day. 

N.  Castle, 

E.  B.  Kephart, 

T.    W.    HOTT, 

J.  S.  Mills. 


BX9878.4  .M42 

A  century  :  address  delivered  at  the 

Princeton  Theological  Semlnary-Speer  Library 


1   1012  00044  7831 


